2009 Economic Impact Awards, Private Education Honoree: Drury University

Traci Sooter believes the ongoing community involvement of Drury University's architectural students reflects the school's overall commitment to producing engaged graduates and community leaders.

"The really cool thing about doing (community projects) is the students go out and have these positive experiences and realize they can have an impact, and they carry that into their careers and lives," says Sooter, associate professor of architecture in Drury's Hammons School of Architecture.

Drury's reach, however, goes beyond architecture, as the school has more than 50 majors and academic programs, including political studies, design arts, criminology, music, pre-law and pre-medicine.

Educating students to serve their communities is part of Drury's vision and has a direct economic impact in southwest Missouri, says President Todd Parnell. Almost 40 percent of Drury graduates between 1998 and 2008 have remained in this area.

"A lot of those graduates have taken leadership positions in our community," he adds.

With nine campuses in what Drury calls "educationally underserved communities" - Monett, Lebanon, Ava, Cabool, Thayer, Licking, Fort Leonard Wood, Rolla and St. Robert - Drury has educated thousands of students who might otherwise not have advanced their educations, Parnell says.

"That's economic development in communities that need it," he says.

Parnell also cites Drury's architecture program as an example of the school's community reach.

Architecture students were involved with Wilson's Creek National Battlefield's Visitor Center, and the White River Valley Historical Society in Taney County held a competition inviting architecture students to submit ideas for a new facility in Forsyth, Parnell says.

The farmers market pavilion on Commercial Street, designed by Drury architecture students, combined real-life experience with economic impact and revitalization efforts.

Instead of just having tables out in the sun, vendors now have a sense of place that draws attention, which attracts more vendors and customers. Involvement in one event often spurs the creation of other events, Sooter says. Meanwhile, students see their efforts work outside of the theoretical.

"It really helped bring life to Commercial Street," Sooter says of the pavilion. "It's kind of an ongoing thing. You do one little thing, and it brings the community out. ... It gets people excited and motivated to do other things.

Architecture students - and Sooter, who was the project manager - also were involved with the first Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified Habitat for Humanity house in the nation, built in Legacy Trails, a planned Habitat community in north Springfield.

Drury wants to be part of Springfield's efforts to become a sustainable community, Parnell says. The O'Reilly Family Events Center now under construction on campus is designed to achieve Gold LEED certification.

"I think we're contributing heavily to (sustainability efforts)," Parnell says. "That is going to be an economic impact ... as we draw attention to a very progressive and environmentally conscious community."

Drury's Center for Community Studies has worked with southwest Missouri cities, such as Monett, Lamar and Webb City, on city planning issues.

"I think we're absolutely training these students to give back to their community ... so it becomes part of their lives," she adds.[[In-content Ad]]