Be Confident Springfield, our Future is Unlimited (Sponsor Letter)

Jeff Frederick, Ph.D., President, Drury University

Nationally, consumer confidence fell in April, the fifth straight month of decline. I wonder if anyone surveyed Springfield, Missouri where the data is a lot more promising? While the state itself is holding at 19th in national population and 6.4 million people, Greene County and the Springfield metropolitan statistical area continues to boom, something the Springfield Business Journal reported on a year ago. There is no faster growing area in Missouri, a fact which reflects the quality of life, healthcare, manufacturing, educational, and cost of living realities.

Based on Census records, our regional population is a little younger than the national average, is slightly more female than male, and while we make a little less money on average than the typical American, we also have shorter commutes and enjoy the proximity of a major interstate. We also have access to all that the Ozarks has to offer, something that makes our location desirable for relocation of businesses and families, and for us at Drury University, recruiting new students and faculty experts.

What do students want when they are considering coming to our area for four years? On the educational front, they want a personalized approach where they feel like a name and not a number, and to participate in meaningful academic, athletic, social, cultural, and internship opportunities. Springfield provides all of that and more. Students want access to cutting edge experts and the chance to apply the skills they are learning in real-world situations in corporate, educational, non-profit, healthcare, and other organizations. Springfield does all of that and more.  And when we do this well, we integrate graduates from all of our local institutions into a vibrant region that holds on to a workforce that is well trained, loves the greater Springfield region, and wants to build their own careers, businesses, families, and futures right here in the greater Queen City neighborhood. It is our collective responsibility to build even more of those opportunities, so that we grow our advantages into difference-making futures for ourselves, our young people, and our region. This is our moment; this is a time for Springfield to lead Missouri. Be confident everyone, we are ready.

—Jeff Frederick, Ph.D., President, Drury University