Drury’s Frederick enters third year with caution, momentum

Drury University President Jeff Frederick said the campus is experiencing positive momentum in revenue, fundraising and enrollment despite the sagging economy and challenges facing higher education.

Frederick, entering his third year at the helm of the private institution, said he remains optimistic but cautious going into the 2026-27 year.

“I feel good about what we’ve accomplished in the past two years,” he said during a July 20 interview. “To be up in students, to be up in revenue, to be up in fundraising, all those are incredibly good signs.”

Despite the progress, Frederick said Drury must stay vigilant in its mission, its service to students and its spending in a difficult time.

“I’m not spiking the football. We’re not in any kind of end zone, but we have good momentum,” he said.

Frederick said these are challenging days for higher education with a shrinking pool of high school graduates, economic uncertainty, rising health care and other costs and changes to federal financial aid.

“We have a lot of work to do,” he said. “The sector uncertainty is so real not only in this town, in this state but across the country.”

Offering a preview of the upcoming school year, Frederick said the university would work to refine its processes and find efficiencies – at least in part to stretch dollars – but existing programs and services are not expected to change.

“The hard thing that we have to continue to do is monitor things on the expense side,” he said. “We haven’t cut any programs. We don’t have any plans to.”

Frederick said the university’s faculty and staff ranks have become leaner in recent years, which included offering a voluntary retirement program a couple of years ago. He said certain roles have been restructured during his tenure.

“I frankly don’t know of any university that hasn’t done some version of that,” he said.

He predicted enrollment of first-time fall semester students would be above the university’s six-year average of 439, but likely would not topple last year’s noteworthy incoming class of 483. Drury continues to hover at 300 employees.

Frederick declined to provide the operating budget amount for the 2027 fiscal year, saying it will not be finalized by the board until the official student headcount in late September.

He added the university is not yet clear on how changes to federal financial aid and rules regarding international student enrollment will impact the bottom line.

“I’m reluctant to give you an actual number, but I would say that we’ve grown our revenue over the last two years, in some cases as much as 13%, in other categories a little lower,” he said.

Frederick said in addition to external factors, Drury has ongoing costs including repairs and maintenance to its historic buildings.

Tuition for a full-time undergraduate student taking 12-18 hours is $37,950 a year for 2026-27, an increase of nearly 3% over the prior year, officials said.

Long-term stability also includes challenging the status quo. Frederick said higher education must become more nimble and adjust in a rapidly changing environment.

Frederick started in 2024, taking over from an alum, John Beuerlein, who stepped in to offer stability after the abrupt departure of Tim Cloyd.

Frederick said part of his charge from the Drury Board of Trustees was to reconnect with the Springfield area in meaningful ways and to expand offerings for students to plug in, give back and connect with nonprofits, employers and civic groups.

“People have been excited to see Drury kind of back at the community table, back in the conversation, offering options, connecting directly with stakeholders, increasing both our visible presence and our behind-the-scenes presence,” he said. “Springfield has welcomed us to get more into the community conversation.”

Frederick said Drury has “recommitted to Springfield and the Ozarks” in its strategy for growing enrollment. The Drury Springfield Promise scholarship program caps the out-of-pocket cost of tuition and fees for eligible area students who qualify for the need-based Pell Grant at $3,000 a year.

This fall, likely in September, Drury plans to roll out its new strategic plan, formed after a year of input and discussion.

“We generated over 1,000 responses either in person or through surveys to get background information about what people thought Drury was good, where we made a difference and where we needed to get better,” he said.

Frederick said a common thread for the plan was “how can Drury continue to be Drury in a time where everything else seems to be changing.”

The five-year plan outlines objectives for students, employees and community impact. In a preview, which did not include specific metrics that will be tracked, the plan called for Drury to serve Springfield, the Ozarks and beyond.

“If you come here, you’ll find your people. If you come here, you’ll find your purpose, and if you come here, you’ll get the skills needed to change your life,” Frederick said.

In April, less than two years into a three-year contract, Frederick was offered a five-year extension. Drury has not disclosed the terms of the agreement, including pay, and Frederick declined to comment on the timing.

“I’m not one to necessarily put a spotlight on me, so I was pleased that they wanted to extend my contract. I have no interest in going anywhere else,” he said. “I was pleased that they wanted to grow the relationship.”