Drury University

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. 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 as Drury College in honor of Drury's recently deceased son on December 10, 1874.

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 1+1/2 acre. Twenty-five years later the 40 acre campus included Stone Chapel, the President's House and three academic buildings. Today, the university occupies a 115 acre campus, including the original historic buildings.

Drury College became Drury University on January 1, 2000.

Religious affiliations

Drury was founded by Congregationalist missionaries and remains affiliated with 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.

Presidents

• 2024–present: Jeff Frederick
• 2023–2024: John Beuerlein
• 2016–2023: J. Timothy Cloyd
• 2013–2016: David Manuel
• 2007–2013: Todd Parnell
• 2005–2007: John Sellars
• 1983–2004: John E. Moore Jr.
• 1981–1983: Norman C. Crawford Jr.
• 1977–1980: John M. Bartholomy
• 1971–1976: William Edward Everheart
• 1968–1970: Alfred O. Canon
• 1964–1967: Earnest Brandenburg
• 1940–1963: James F. Findlay
• 1917–1939: Thomas Nadal
• 1913–1916: J.J. McMurtry
• 1907–1913: Joseph Henry George
• 1905–1907: J. Edward Kirbye
• 1893–1905: Homer T. Fuller
• 1888–1892: Francis T. Ingalls
• 1873–1885: Nathan J. Morrison

Academics

Drury is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The university offers 54 undergraduate majors and several professional degrees through the Hammons School of Architecture, Breech School of Business Administration, and School of Education & Child Development.

Drury is a residential university. Full-time students live on campus until they reach the age of 21, unless they meet specific criteria to be exempt from the housing policy.

Study abroad

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 maintained a satellite campus in Aegina, Greece. The center closed in May 2021.

Athletics

Main article: Drury Panthers

Drury's NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic teams compete in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's Track and Field, 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, men's wrestling, women's softball, women's volleyball, men's bowling, and women's bowling, women's triathlon and soon to be men's triathlon.

The school was a founding member of the Heartland Conference. In the fall of 2005, the Drury Panthers joined the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

KDRU-LP student-run radio

KDRU-LP (98.1 FM) is a low-power student-run radio station owned by Drury University. Licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2016, the station broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 47 watts. Its primary signal covers most of Springfield, while reception in the immediate surrounding communities depends on the topography. All of KDRU's on-air hosts must be university students.

Notable alumni

Main article: List of Drury University alumni

References

References

1. (February 12, 2025). "U.S. and Canadian 2024 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2024 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY23 to FY24, and FY24 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student". National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).
2. (13 March 2024). "Drury University announces 19th president".
3. (December 1, 2024). "Enrollment Report for Missouri Public and Comprehensive Independent Institutions". Missouri Department of Higher Education.
4. https://www.drury.edu/about/ About Drury University and Mission Statement
5. "Drury University: Drury at a Glance: Fast Facts". Drury at a Glance: Fast Facts.
6. "Trends in Headcount Enrollment, 2013-2019". [[Missouri Department of Higher Education]].
7. link. (February 8, 2007)
8. "Drury's Church Affiliation". Drury University.
9. "Drury University names John Beuerlein as interim president".
10. "Drury University's History".
11. Riley, Claudette. "Drury University president to step down".
12. "Drury University: Drury's Accreditation".
13. "Drury University: Discover Academics: Areas of Study".
14. "Drury University: The Drury Center in Greece". The Drury Center in Greece.
15. (15 November 2019). "Drury Center in Aegina, Greece set to close by 2021: Concern over impact on the Architecture program". The Drury Center in Greece.
16. "Home".
17. (2024). "Coverage Area for KSMC 89.5 FM". Radio-Locator.
18. (2024). "KDRU-LPFM Technical Details". Radio-Locator.
19. (2024). "Coverage Area for KSMC 89.5 FM". Radio-Locator.
20. (2025). "Frequently Asked Questions about Radio-Locator Coverage Maps". Radio-Locator.
21. (2024). "KDRU-LP: About Us". Drury University.