Drury University celebrates its 2025 graduation class
Media Contact: Cris Belvin
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., May 10, 2025 – The 151st graduating class in Drury University history received its diplomas this weekend, donning caps and gowns to celebrate their academic success.
Two graduation ceremonies were conducted this weekend including one on Friday evening for Drury GO, Drury’s evening and online programs, and the College of Graduate Studies. The ceremony for graduates of the traditional day school was held on Saturday morning. Both ceremonies took place at the O’Reilly Family Event Center.
In total, there were 388 graduates honored this weekend as they leave Drury to live lives of meaning and value and pursue exceptional outcomes. This includes 250 day school graduates, 95 from Drury GO, and 43 graduates who earned a master’s degree. On Thursday, 24 graduates of the Drury Law Enforcement Academy received their Missouri POST Class A Licenses.
During both ceremonies, Drury President Dr. Jeff Frederick, presiding over his first graduation weekend, spoke about graduates achieving their goals. “A lot of the hard work you set about to complete may have seemed insurmountable, but you climbed up to the top of the mountain and today we celebrate your achievement,” he said.
Take Time to Pause
On Friday, Drury welcomed alumna Carrie Richardson ’03 MNCL ’20 as the commencement speaker. Richardson has been the Executive Director at Leadership Springfield, a non-profit organization centered on encouraging leadership development, since 2018. Before that, Richardson spent a decade in the healthcare field, serving as Chief Operating Officer of Ozarks Community Hospital. She spoke on making sure graduates take the time to pause in their daily lives.
“Today is about celebrating how far you’ve come, and also pausing just long enough to dream about where you’re headed next,” Ricahrdson said. “However you arrived here today, you earned this moment. And that’s worth pausing to truly honor. Milestones like today, your graduation day, mark a point in time, a pause before what’s to come. Time to reflect. Time to dream. And time to celebrate. These rare milestones give us permission and maybe even a little responsibility to slow down, to savor what we’ve accomplished and to set our sights on what’s ahead.”
Stay Connected
World-renowned Springfield chocolatier Shawn Askinosie served as the speaker for the Day School graduation ceremony on Saturday. The owner of Askinosie Chocolate since 2006, Askinosie has seen the company flourish into one of the world’s top chocolate micro-factories, earning distinction as one of Forbes Magazine’s 25 Best Small Companies in America. A former criminal defense lawyer, Askinosie was named as “One of the 15 Guys Who are Saving the World” by O, The Oprah Magazine. He spoke on the importance of remaining connected with the people in your life.
“It’s not what you know that will help you as much as how well you know the person,” Askinosie. “We’ve been conditioned to believe that more contacts, more likes, more retweets, equals a greater likelihood of getting what we want. We can’t let simulated experience replace the real thing. Friendship is more than a career strategy; it’s how we survive, heal, laugh, and experience our shared being. We have to make this a practice, a discipline. I’m challenging you to put more effort into this than LinkedIn. Never forget to show up in person with your whole heart for someone else. Be someone’s soul friend. That’s how we live a life of meaning and joy.”
At the conclusion of his speech, Askinosie received a standing ovation from all in attendance.