Drury University

SPRINGFIELD --  The game of Quidditch has taken the Muggle World by storm and universities across the country are getting in on the action. Drury University hosted its second annual Quidditch tournament on Saturday. Harry Potter fans came out to battle for the Quaffle and the Snitch at Sunderland Field. As part of the event, Dickerson Park Zoo had its live owl exhibit on display. Teams comprised of Drury students and community members.   The tournament took place just one week after the Quidditch World Cup in New York City.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Drury University has an opening day enrollment of 1,628 in its traditional Day School.  That's its second all-time highest Day School enrollment and is five less than the record opening day enrollment last August.  Classes at Drury began Monday night at 5 p.m. “Coming off of a record year, this is an outstanding opening day enrollment,” said Drury President Todd Parnell.  “Even with a fragile economic recovery nationally, students...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- For the past two months, a hole has been getting deeper at a green space on Drury University's campus.  History professor Monty Dobson was curious about a legend of Drury being built on top of a Civil War defensive trench.  The belief is Union soldiers used the spot to watch the road leading to a fort in Springfield. Dobson, his students, and even the university president started digging, hoping to find physical evidence to back up Drury's legend.  The dig moves slowly.  Roughly 10 centimeters of dirt is cleared at a time.  After coming across a penny from the 1950s and a few tokens from around World War 2, the group came across a rock wall about two-and-a-half feet under the surface.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.-- Drury University bans smoking in buildings on its campus but the policy will expand to the entire campus and all types of tobacco by the fall of 2012.   It's a clear ban on all tobacco, which the university says is a reflection of its commitment to wellness.  The announcement brought a mixed reaction from students. Drury students are overall pleased with the recent campus commitment to wellness, like promoting a healthier diet and active lifestyle.  "There's been definite improvements in the gym," said student Zach Cinkosky.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Charlie Daniels Band will perform live at the O'Reilly Family Event Center on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011.  Opening acts include Springfield native Chris Cavanaugh and Kansas City-based Noe Palma. Tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 23 at 10 a.m.  Tickets can be purchased at the O'Reilly Family Event Center box office, by calling (417) 873-6389 or at www.drurytickets.com .  Tickets cost $29.50, $39.50 and $59.50 plus handling fees. Known for his fiddle playing, Charlie Daniels has been performing for over 50 years.  His style is a mixture of rock, country, bluegrass, blues and gospel.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Drury University students will provide free tax preparation through an IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site. The tax preparation service is open to the public and is designed to benefit low-income and senior taxpayers.  Taxpayers are required to bring photo identification, Social Security cards for themselves and dependents, as well as any tax documentation that they received, including   all W-2 forms, 1099 forms,...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo --   As the people in Connecticut laid to rest two victims of the school shooting, folks in the Ozarks also honored those lost in the massacre. Dozens of people attended a memorial service at Stone Chapel on the Drury University Campus. Dr. Laurie Edmondson is an education professor. She came to honor the teachers who gave all to protect their students. "I think anyone of us would have done the same thing. Any one of us would have given everything to make sure those children are safe.  To know that every teacher cares that much and every teacher has that passion, we would do anything for those children," said Edmondson.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. --  A power outage darkened part of the Drury University campus on Wednesday.   That's why classes are canceled for Wednesday evening. A spokesman for City Utilities of Springfield says the problem is caused by a "switch problem" in Drury's equipment.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Drury University has won three championships in three sports in 30 days, and the city of Springfield is getting ready to celebrate. The community is invited to a parade to honor the men's basketball team as well as men's and women's swimming and diving teams this Friday at 4 p.m.  The parade will begin in downtown Springfield and proceed to Drury University. The swimming teams won their championships March 9 in Birmingham, Ala.; the basketball team defeated Metro State 74-73 April 7 to win the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The band Chicago will play at Drury University's O'Reilly Family Event Center this summer.  Tickets for the concert on Aug. 9 are now on sale.   Seats sell for $41, $51 and $77 for the concert at 8 p.m.  You can  buy online or call Drury University at (417) 873-6389.  The multi-platinum selling band was named one of Billboard Magazine's top 100 artists of all time, ranking 13.  Chicago has sold 38 million albums.  

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Former KY3 video journalist Ed Fillmer is collaborating with Drury and KY3 to bring an added dimension to video storytelling in the Ozarks. He will be Drury's Ozarks Correspondent, again producing video stories about people in the Ozarks. Fillmer became well known for his stories on KY3 News in the 1980s and '90s. His special reports, called “KY3's Ozark Life” focused on people, culture and issues in the area. He covered people who aren't usually found in the headlines, roaming not only the small towns and back roads of the Ozarks, but the nation and the world to report on people who call the Ozarks home.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo -- It's graduation time in the Ozarks, and as thousands of students enter the workforce, a problem lingers in the air. Is professionalism a thing of the past? According to managers and supervisors across the country it's starting to fade, and young employees carry a majority of the blame.     With graduation season in full force, resumes and job interviews are on the minds of students over at Drury University. "You want to stand out. You don't want to stick out," said Drury Director of Career Planning and Development Jill Wiggins.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Springfield Police Department will honor Maj. Bob Brown during a retirement ceremony at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, at the Springfield Regional Police and Fire Training Center, 2620 W. Battlefield Road. Brown joined the Springfield Police Department in January 1990 and is retiring after more than 23 years of service. During his career with the Springfield Police Department, he has served in numerous positions within the Uniform Operations Bureau and the Investigations and Support Services Bureau.  As an officer, Brown served in patrol and criminal investigations.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Think of it like this:  It's a city of nearly 20,000 people, and they're all packing up and moving out at the same time.  Each May, there is a two-week collection for charity at both Missouri State University and Drury University.  Without the program, campus streets would be piled high with mounds of unwanted stuff. Volunteers with The Kitchen, a Springfield-based charity, load up tens of thousands of pounds of food, clothes, rugs, and furniture MSU students no longer need two times daily.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - One of Drury University's most famous alumni is returning to Springfield with a few gifts for the university.  Bob Barker, longtime host of CBS' The Price is Right and a 1947 Drury graduate, will donate several awards that he has received so they can be displayed. The donation will take place at the Shewmaker Communication Center on May 9 at 11 a.m. in a closed ceremony. Barker has made several visits to Drury before, donating $1 million each in two separate visits in 2008 and 2009.  A street on campus was renamed Bob Barker Boulevard in his honor in 2008 as well.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A parade this afternoon will honor some hometown sports heroes, as members of three national championship teams at Drury University will march from downtown to campus. They include the men's basketball team and the men's and women's swim teams. They'll be joined by the Budweiser Clydesdales. The parade starts at 4 p.m. at South and Elm. From there, the parade will travel north on Boonville Avenue, turn east on Central Street, and then turn north on Drury Lane.

George Mason assistant vice president/director of athletics Tom O'Connor announced Nyla Milleson as the eighth head women's basketball coach in program history on Tuesday. Milleson, who led Missouri State to three WNIT appearances, arrives in Fairfax following a six-year stint as head coach of the Lady Bears. “We are extremely excited to begin a new era of George Mason women's basketball with Nyla leading the way,” said O'Connor. “Nyla has a proven record of success and has the characteristics to recruit strong student-athletes into the program.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Drury University has won three championships in three sports in 30 days, and the city of Springfield is getting ready to celebrate. The community is invited to a parade to honor the men's basketball team as well as men's and women's swimming and diving teams this Friday at 4 p.m.  The parade will begin in downtown Springfield and proceed to Drury University. The swimming teams won their championships March 9 in Birmingham, Ala.; the basketball team defeated Metro State 74-73 April 7 to win the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Drury University hosts a welcome home party Tuesday afternoon. The Division Two National Champion Panthers will arrive at the O'Reilly Center shortly after noon.  The Panthers defeated Metro State 74-73 in Atlanta Sunday.  The celebration begins around 12:30 p.m.