Drury to rename academic building in honor of Mercy

Drury University's Trustee Science Center is getting a new name to honor a donation from Mercy Springfield Communities.

The building, which is located across from Hammons School of Architecture at Drury Lane and Chestnut Expressway, is taking on the Mercy Science Center name, according to a news release. A dedication ceremony has been scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sept. 18.

The donation amount was not disclosed in the release, with Drury officials calling it "a generous gift."

“We are grateful for the generosity of the Mercy Springfield Communities and for their long-standing partnership to help us prepare a talented health care workforce for a future that requires state-of-the-art skills, interprofessional collaboration across teams and empathy,” Drury President Jeff Frederick said in the release. "The Mercy Science Center will be home to students in critical science and health exploration, launching the next generation of Drury graduates into a world that needs experts who learn, think, do and serve."

The building taking on the Mercy name 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, 75,800-square-foot Trustee Science Center opened in 2002, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.