- Drury University
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Drury University 
Established 1873 Type Private University Endowment $67.6 million[1] President Todd Parnell Students ~5,474 [2] Undergraduates ~1,560 Postgraduates ~3,914 Location Springfield, MO, USA
37°13′11″N 93°17′09″W / 37.2196°N 93.2857°WCoordinates: 37°13′11″N 93°17′09″W / 37.2196°N 93.2857°WCampus Urban, 88 acres (35.6 ha) Colors Scarlet and Grey Mascot Panther Website www.drury.edu Drury University is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Missouri. The university enrolls about 1,550 undergraduates, over 2,000 adult part-time undergraduates and around 400 graduate students in six master's programs. In total, its enrollment numbers at about 3,550 students.
Contents
History
Drury was founded as Springfield College in 1873 by Congregationalist church missionaries in the mold of other Congregationalist universities such as Dartmouth College and Yale University. Rev. Nathan Morrison, Samuel Drury, and James and Charles Harwood provided the school's initial endowment and organization; Samuel Drury's gift was the largest of the group and the school was soon renamed in honor of Drury's recently deceased son.
The early curriculum emphasized educational, religious and musical strengths. Students came to the new college from a wide area, including the Indian Territories of Oklahoma. The first graduating class included four women.
When classes began in 1873, they were held in a single building on a campus occupying less than 11⁄2 acres (0.61 ha). Twenty-five years later the 40-acre (16.2 ha) campus included Stone Chapel, the President’s House and three academic buildings. Today, the university occupies a 115-acre (46.5 ha) campus, including the original historic buildings.
Drury College became Drury University on January 1, 2000.[3] In addition to the academic programs of the early years, Drury students today study in the Breech School of Business Administration, the Hammons School of Architecture, and the departments of education, mathematics and sciences, social sciences, exercise and sport science. The list of majors and minors at Drury has also grown and now includes high tech studies in computer science, computer information systems and e-commerce.
The College of Graduate and Continuing Studies serves nearly three thousand students in Springfield and at nine branch campuses.[3]
On April 28, 1960, Drury College was the setting for an episode of NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. Tennessee Ernie Ford sang his trademark "Sixteen Tons" and the hymn "Take My Hand, Precious Lord".[4]
Mission
Drury is an independent university, church-related, grounded in the liberal arts tradition, and committed to personalized education in a community of scholars who value the arts of teaching and learning. Education at Drury seeks:
- to cultivate spiritual sensibilities and imaginative faculties as well as ethical insight and critical thought
- to foster the integration of theoretical and practical knowledge
- to liberate persons to participate responsibly in and contribute to a global community[5]
Religious affiliations
Since its founding, Drury has been affiliated with the Congregationalist church and its successor, the United Church of Christ. It has also been affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since the founding of the Drury School of Religion in 1909.[6] The religious foundation of the university still manifests itself in a faith community on campus.
Academic departments
- Architecture
- Art & Art History
- Behavioral Sciences
- Biology
- Business Administration
- Chemistry
- Communication
- Education
- English
- Environmental Studies
- Exercise and Sports Science
- Global Studies & GP21
- History, Political Science, and Geography
- Languages
- Library Science
- Mathematics and Computer Science
- Music
- Philosophy and Religion
- Physics
- Theatre
Professional schools
- Hammons School of Architecture
- Breech School of Business Administration
- School of Education & Child Development
Global Perspectives 21
The Global Perspectives 21 (GP21) program is an interdisciplinary curriculum "designed to prepare students for the 21st century by providing the breadth of understanding and skills needed in our rapidly changing global society."[7] A practical benefit of the program is that all traditional Drury day students receive a minor in Global Studies for completing their general education requirements.
Drury explains the program in this way: "The GP21 program is rooted in the liberal arts and thus helps develop the knowledge and skills associated with a bachelor’s degree. Students develop their reading, writing, and oral communication skills. They extend their abilities to think critically and creatively and to solve problems. They explore values and ethical issues in many ways and develop a deeper awareness of what divides and unites global cultures. This integrated program of study thus prepares students for meaningful and successful lives as persons and professionals."[7]
Study abroad
Although not directly tied to the GP21 curriculum, Drury's study abroad program is an integral part of the college experience. Almost half of the student body studies overseas at some point in short-term, semester, or year-long programs. Foreign learning is a requirement for most students with majors in the schools of Business and Architecture.
Drury also maintains a satellite campus in Volos, Greece, that is home to several of the university's most distinctive courses. Though the Center is quite popular with architecture students, it is attended by students across disciplines and majors.[8]
Athletics
The school was a founding member of the Heartland Conference. In the Fall of 2005, the Drury Panthers joined the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Drury sponsors NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic teams in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's baseball, women's softball, and women's volleyball.
Baseball, in hiatus since the 1970s, was reorganized for the 2007 season by new Head Coach Mark Stratton. The 2007 team was composed mainly of freshmen, with two seniors (Tony Lewis and Brian York) on the roster. In the pre-season picks, Drury Baseball was picked to finish last in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. However, the Drury Panther Baseball team won a bid into their conference tournament. They took this opportunity, and went undefeated to become the 2007 Great Lakes Valley Conference Champions. This gave them an automatic bid into the NCAA Division-II tournament. While they eventually were defeated by Grand Valley State (ranked 6th in the nation), the Drury Panthers sent home two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference teams (Ashland and Saginaw Valley State, which out ranked the last seeded Drury), and finished third in the NCAA Division-II Regional. Tony Lewis was the recipient of the Rawlings Golden Glove Award. Lewis and Joe Rohlfing were named to the All-Tournament team for the NCAA Division-II North Central Regional. Drury ended the season going 33-24.
Drury men's swimming head coach Brian Reynolds was recently inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
Notable alumni
- Bob Barker, former gameshow host and executive producer of The Price Is Right
- Ernest R. Breech, chairman of Ford Motor Company and Trans World Airlines.
- Charles H. Brown, member of the United States House of Representatives from 1957-1961.
- David Clohessy, director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).
- Bob Dixon, a current member of the Missouri House of Representatives.
- Dan Glass, president of Kansas City Royals
- Dabbs Greer, actor
- Durward Hall, member of the United States House of Representatives from 1961-1973.
- Frederic Aldin Hall Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis 1913-1923
- Michael Mallory, author and journalist.
- Todd Parnell, banker and president of Drury University.
- James Edward Ruffin, member of the United States House of Representatives from 1933-1935.
- "Si" Siman, music industry executive.
- David E. Sweet, founding president of Metropolitan State University and later president of Rhode Island College
- The O'Reilly Brothers, founders and owners of O'Reilly Auto Parts
- Johnny Morris, founder and owner of Bass Pro Shops
- Ismael Ortiz, Panamanian swimmer
- John William Yettaw, The Suu Kyi swimmer
Recent events
In 2005, Drury was one of 16 colleges and universities in the nation selected to participate in the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) project “Shared Futures: General Education for Global Learning,” which focuses on linking the liberal arts to global issues. In the same year John Sellars was appointed president.
On April 23, 2007 Drury's 15th president, John Sellars, resigned effective May 31, 2007. He later was named president of Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa. Alumnus Todd Parnell, a member of Drury's Board of Trustees, assumed the role of interim president.[9]
On January 21, 2008, Todd Parnell was named Drury's 16th president.
Greek organizations
Drury currently has four sororities and four fraternities.
Sororities:
Fraternities:
References
- ^ As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- ^ [1] Drury University news release Accessed October 14, 2010
- ^ a b Drury University: Drury History
- ^ "The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford". ernieford.com. http://www.ernieford.com/FordShow4-5.htm. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
- ^ "The Drury Community: Engaging Our Future". Drury University. http://www.drury.edu/multinl/story.cfm?ID=22106&NLID=123. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
- ^ "Drury's Church Affiliation". Drury University. http://www.drury.edu/multinl/story.cfm?ID=3013&NLID=39. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
- ^ a b Drury University: About the Global Perspectives 21 Program
- ^ Drury University: About the Drury Center in Volos, Greece
- ^ Drury University: President Sellars Resigns
- Drury University (2007). "Drury's Accolades". Drury University. http://www.drury.edu/multinl/story.cfm?ID=6882&NLID=39. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
- Drury University (2007). "Drury History". Drury University. http://www.drury.edu/multinl/story.cfm?ID=117&NLID=39. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
External links
Great Lakes Valley Conference Bellarmine • Drury • Illinois-Springfield • Indianapolis • Kentucky Wesleyan • Lewis • Maryville University • Missouri S&T • Missouri–St. Louis • Northern Kentucky • Quincy • Rockhurst • Saint Joseph's • Southern Indiana • Wisconsin–Parkside • William JewellUniversities, colleges, and seminaries of the United Church of Christ Andover Newton Theological School • Bangor Theological Seminary • Catawba College • Chicago Theological Seminary • Deaconess College of Nursing • Defiance College • Dillard University • Doane College • Drury University • Eden Theological Seminary • Elmhurst College • Elon University • Heidelberg College • Huston-Tillotson University • Illinois College • Lakeland College • LeMoyne-Owen College • Lancaster Theological Seminary • Northland College • Olivet College • Pacific School of Religion • Pacific University • Piedmont College • Rocky Mountain College • Talladega College • Tougaloo College • United Theological Seminary of the Twin CitiesColleges and universities Barton College • Bethany College • Chapman University • Columbia College • Culver-Stockton College • Drake University • Drury University • Eureka College • Hiram College • Jarvis Christian College • Lynchburg College • Midway College • Northwest Christian University • Texas Christian University • Tougaloo College • Transylvania University • William Woods University
Seminaries and theological institutions Associated New American Colleges Arcadia • Belmont • Butler • Drake • Drury • Elon • Evansville • Hamline • Hampton • Ithaca • North Central • Pacific Lutheran • Quinnipiac • Redlands • Scranton • Simmons • Susquehanna • The Sage Colleges • Valparaiso • Wagner • WestminsterCategories:- Universities and colleges in Springfield, Missouri
- Universities and colleges affiliated with the United Church of Christ
- Universities and colleges affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
- Educational institutions established in 1873
- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- Former Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association members
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