Engaged. Enlightened. Challenged. Celebrated.

Drury University continues to receive national and international recognition. Here’s a quick look at some of our most recent accomplishments.

National Recognition

US News & World Report

• No. 10 on the list of best regional universities in the Midwest, a category U.S. News & World Report officially names “Best Universities-Master’s-Midwest,” although the rankings apply to the entire university, not just its master’s programs.


• No. 6 on the list of “Great Schools, Great Prices” in the Midwest, a list
  which compares the quality of an institution to the cost of attending it.

National Survey of Student Engagement

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) tracks how motivated and challenged students are, based on surveys of 135,000 students at more than 600 colleges and universities. Drury was awarded high marks in the survey, compared to other master’s universities.

• Drury's scores for 2007.

The Policy Center on the First Year of College: Institutions of Excellence

Drury is one of 13 colleges and universities nationwide chosen as "Institutions of Excellence in the First College Year" by The Policy Center on the First Year of College. The Policy Center identifies institutions doing an exemplary job of helping new students make a successful transition to the academic and social demands of college, as measured through reliable assessment.

A Barron’s Best Buy in College Education.

Academic Excellence

Drury University's master's degree in Criminal Justice/Criminology program is ranked second in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report.

More than 50 percent of Drury students study abroad. The Steve Good Scholarship, in memory of Dean Steve Good, is a scholarship opportunity for students interested in study abroad. Requirements are a 3.75 overall GPA and 3.75 in the Global Perspectives program.

Drury University students built a sustainable house for the Habitat for Humanity community in north Springfield. The home meets LEED-platinum certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The home will be the first platinum LEED-certified building in the country built by a Habitat for Humanity affiliate.

Drury University professor Dr. Rabindra Roy was awarded a Diversity Supplemental Grant of $249,487 for three-year research on bio-analytical chemistry from the National Institutes of Health.

Because of this grant and awards from the Hoffman Research Fund, two students are at work on this project and 30 students are actively involved in research projects in health-related fields.

Dr. Roy has conducted research for more than 40 years at Drury including:

• Received more than $3.5 million in total grant funds
• Received grants from the National Institutes of Health of $1.23 million.
• Assisted more than 600 individual students in research.
• Received American Chemical Society national award for undergraduate research.

Carlyle Sharpe will receive a performance of his composition "Proud Music of the Storm" at the Kennedy Center in April 2008 by the Washington Chorus and Orchestra.

Sharpe composed "Proud Music of the Storm" in the summer of 2001 on a commission from the Providence Singers, who premiered the work the following November.

Wendy Anderson, associate professor of biology, is Drury’s first Director of Campus Sustainability. Anderson will guide Drury along the path of regional and national leadership in campus sustainability and environmental education. She will recommend new technologies and strategies for environmental management at Drury to minimize waste, increase energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainability of design and construction. She also will develop a set of sustainability indicators for the university and provides and annual report of progress on initiatives, celebrating achievements, targeting weaknesses, and identifying new areas of focus.

Dr. Robert Wyatt, director of Drury University’s Breech School of Business Administration and Associate Professor of Accounting, has been named an American Council on Education Fellow for the academic year 2007-08. The esteemed ACE Fellows program chose only 39 Fellows this year.

Belinda Langham, Ph.D., assistant professor of education and director of the Missouri Math Academy, was awarded an $832,288 grant from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The grant will support the work of the Alliance for Improving Mathematics Education in Missouri. The grant money is used to provide year-round job embedded professional development for middle-school mathematics teachers across the state.

Lisa Esposito, Ph.D., won acceptance into the prestigious American Juried Art Salon’s 2007 Spring/Summer show. Two works were accepted, both in the Acrylic/Oil division. They are “Cosmic Dance” and “Awakening.” The art can be seen at www.artjury.com, The American Juried Art Salon.

Dr. Esposito is an associate professor and chair of Drury University’s Philosophy and Religion Department.

Drury's Students in Free Enterprise Team (SIFE) won the World Cup in October 2003 in Mainz, Germany, for the second time in three years. In 2005, SIFE won the national competition.

Ron Schie, associate professor of communication: “Educator of the Year” for the Ninth District of the American Advertising Federation.

Athletic Achievements

Drury University's athletics squads have combined to finish third in both the 14-team Great Lakes Valley Conference All-Sports and Commissioner's Cup competitions for the 2007-08 year, the league announced in May.

The men’s basketball team made it to the NCAA Division II Championships for the third year in the row, finishing 11th in the country.

The men’s swimming and diving team won its fourth straight NCAA Division II national championship in March 2008. The women's swimming and diving team placed second in 2008. The women won the NCAA Division II national championship in the 2006-2007 season.

Women’s Golf finished the 2006-07 with a school-best fourth in the NCAA Division II Championships in Pensacola, Fla. and captured their second straight Great Lakes Valley Conference championship a few weeks earlier.

... And we keep getting better.

The Drury Center in Volos, Greece is a unique program. In a setting of rich history and culture, our students study architecture, urban issues, politics, literature and more through a flexible curriculum. More importantly, the Volos Center is a vivid manifestation of Drury’s commitment to developing global awareness.

Stone Chapel, the oldest stone building in Springfield, was renovated with a geothermal heating system. Geothermal heating is a new type of air -conditioning technology that uses the earth's heat-retaining capacity to provide both heating and cooling to a building. For heating, pumps pull heat from the ground and provide it to the building. For cooling, heat in the building is transferred to liquid and pumped back to the ground through a loop. Drury adopted the geothermal heating system to help prevent global warming and to save money.

Former “Price is Right” host and Drury alumnus Bob Barker presented Drury University with $1 million to establish the Bob Barker Endowment Fund for the Study of Animal Rights. The initial course, “Animal Ethics,” will educate students about issues that directly affect the lives of animals, and is to be offered in the spring of 2010.

The Pool Art Center, a new visual arts center provides a spacious and attractive home for the arts. With senior studios, faculty offices and well-designed classrooms, the new facility beckons students to excel in the arts.

The Trustee Science Center opened in October 2002. It is intentionally designed with an emphasis on flexible, interactive teaching labs, in order to support the nationally honored “Scientific Perspectives” component of our core curriculum and improve teaching to science majors. Designed from the beginning with significant faculty involvement, this $19 million, privately funded project is the result of Drury’s largest capital campaign ever.

The Edward Jones Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation was established in 2006. The Edward Jones Center will provide individuals inside existing corporations with tools to continually refresh and reinvent their organizations as markets and business environments change.

Donald G. & Ruth D. Martin Alumni Center: The former Sigma Nu house was completely renovated, and its three floors provide new spaces for alumni receptions and meetings, offices for the Office of Development and Alumni Relations and a calling center.

Sunderland Hall, Drury's newest residence hall opened in January 2005. The new hall, organized in suites of four single bedrooms and two shared bathrooms, is designed specifically for Drury's Living Learning Communities.

Summit Park, Drury's newest housing unit, opened in 2003, providing five new apartment-style townhouses for students in a service-learning community.

Funding will support the construction of the O’Reilly Family Event Center. The venue will seat approximately 4,000. The Drury men’s and women’s basketball teams will play in the arena in the fall of 2009. The O’Reilly Family Event Center will allow Drury to host regional and national basketball tournaments. The center will also be home to Drury’s ever growing graduation ceremonies and include banquet facilities and venues for additional student activities.

Drury Data: Fall 2007 Enrollment
Traditional Undergraduate: 1,608
College of Graduate and Continuing Studies: 2,931