DRURY UNIVERSITY

Drury University began in Lebanon in 1986 by offering two courses at the Lebanon Jr. High School. With the growing interest and course offerings Drury relocated in 1996 to its present location in the Nelson Education Center. They currently offer approximately 50 courses per semester. At the Lebanon location students may receive associate degrees or take several courses toward a bachelor’s degree in many areas.

At the Lebanon location students may receive associate degrees and may take several courses toward a bachelor’s degree in several areas. Additionally, they may receive help in the areas of admissions, financial aid, registration and advising.

Drury University began in Lebanon in 1986 by offering two courses at the Lebanon Jr. High School. With the growing interest and course offerings Drury relocated in 1996 to it’s present location in the Nelson Education Center. They currently offer approximately 50 courses per semester.

Founded in 1873, the Drury University Springfield campus is a blend of historic and contemporary buildings. All courses for undergraduate and graduate programs are offered at the Springfield campus. 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 1½ acres. Twenty-five years later the 40-acre (160, 000 m2) campus included Stone Chapel, the President’s House and three academic buildings. Today, the university occupies a 115-acre (0.47 km2) campus, including the original historic buildings. 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.