Drury, Mercy dedicate newly renamed academic building

Drury University and Mercy Springfield Communities on Thursday held a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for a newly renamed academic building on campus.

The Mercy Science Center name was officially unveiled for the building formerly known as the Trustee Science Center. Drury announced earlier this month that Mercy had made "a generous gift" in an undisclosed amount to the university. 

A crowd gathered yesterday afternoon at the ceremony in which top officials from Drury and Mercy espoused the mutual benefits of their partnership.

"I couldn't be more grateful for our collective working relationships and thrilled with what else we will accomplish in our time together," Drury President Jeff Frederick said. "This building, the Mercy Science Center, is a touchstone for our university. Every undergraduate student in our university spends time here.

"Every biology, biochemisty, chemistry, pre-health science, physician assistant and so many other students will spend so much time here that it will seem like a second home."

Dr. Sadaf Sohrab, chief medical officer at Mercy Springfield Communities, said the health system has been involved with education for decades.

"For Mercy, education is one of the most important things," she said. "We are super excited to be a partner with Drury, we are super excited to train that next generation of health care workers, we're super excited when we get our PA students from Drury and we're super excited because we love science."

The Mercy Science Center, located at 729 N. Drury Lane at one of the entrances to campus, spans 78,000 square feet, said Levi Costello, executive director of marketing and communications for Drury.

The building is home to Drury’s science and medically related academic programs, including the physician assistant studies master's degree program that launched in 2023.

The $19 million Trustee Science Center opened in 2002, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.