Drury unveils $27 million O'Reilly Enterprise Center

Ryan Collingwood, Springfield News-Leader
·3 min read

For every red or black balloon that adorned the inside of Drury University's newest structure, there was a smile to match.

Hundreds of students, faculty and alumni celebrated Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony that introduced the school's C.H. "Chub" O’Reilly Enterprise Center and Breech School of Business Administration and Judy Thompson Executive Conference Center.

The state-of-the-art, 67,348-square-foot building is already beginning to adopt the OBT acronym by some of its staffers.

"The longer the name, the more important the building," joked Rita Baron, Drury Board of Trustees Chair.

The three-story building at Central Street and Drury Lane — now the school's tallest structure at 62 feet — is the first building built on campus in 20 years.

Ground was broken on the donor-backed $27 million dollar project in October of 2020. It will begin to house classes in January.

Eleven classrooms, 46 faculty offices and five academic offices are among the features of the building. The C.H. "Chub" O'Reilly Enterprise Center will also be host to political science and international affairs, computer science and mathematics, the Meador Center for Politics & Citizenship and the Robert and Mary Cox Compass Center.

It offers a sizable conference center and will be adding a restaurant, Einstein Bros. Bagels.

The family of the late O'Reilly, a distinguished Drury alumni and co-founder of O'Reilly Auto Parts, were the lead donors in this project.

"We're very proud to have our dad's name on the building," O'Reilly's son, Larry, said in a video presentation. "Almost all of us (in the family) have graduated from Drury and think the world of what's happening at the school. This is a great opportunity for all of us to share in this piece of history."

Drury University unveiled its newest building, the C.H. “Chub” O’Reilly Enterprise Center, with a ceremony on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. The building doesn't officially open until January although faculty and staff have begun to move in.
Drury University unveiled its newest building, the C.H. “Chub” O’Reilly Enterprise Center, with a ceremony on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. The building doesn't officially open until January although faculty and staff have begun to move in.

Tyler Buff, president of Drury's student government, announced to the ribbon-cutting crowd that the school buried a time capsule in front of the building that included over a dozen items, including a Drury COVID-19 mask and DVD of Drury's 2013 NCA Division II men's basketball championship.

Springfield Mayor Ken McClure gave a proclamation Friday before Drury president Tim Cloyd stepped to the lectern.

"This complex, this wonderful building has transformed and added beauty to our landscape," Cloyd said. "Our celebration today is about what it represents and what will happen here in this space."

Part of the biggest fundraising effort ($73 million) in Drury history, Go Beyond, the new building is modern, but blends in with its older structures and color scheme.

The building's name also bears the namesake of longtime Drury staff member and master fundraiser, Judy Thompson, as well as the late Ernest Breech, another Drury alum and the former chairman of Ford Motor Company.

“This is truly a historic day for our university and for Springfield,” Cloyd said. “When Drury opened its doors nearly 150 years ago, we were the first institution in Springfield, and the surrounding areas, to offer higher educational opportunities. Today our legacy as a trailblazer continues.”

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Drury University's new O'Reilly Enterprise Center unveiled