On Oct. 31, the students of Drury University were shocked to receive an email informing them that the Drury Center in Aegina, Greece would be permanently closed by May 2021.

According to this email from Dr. Tijuana Julian, Vice President of Student Affairs, the closure is due to financial loss.

“Drury’s Board of Trustees has taken the very difficult decision to close the Drury Center in Aegina, Greece (DCG) effective at the end of May 2021. The Board’s decision is in response to the fact that the DCG has been operating at a loss for a number of years. Despite recent attempts to find broader participation in the program, its cost continues at a level that is unsustainable for the institution,” stated the email.

Drury’s Center in Greece began in 2002, originally in the city of Volos. In 2011, the center moved to the island of Aegina, which is only an hour ferry ride to Athens. This experience allows students to take classes, learn about Greek culture and visit historic monuments, all while living in the Stone House, an apartment building just a block from the center.

The loss of this program is especially hard on Drury’s Architecture program, which requires that students participate in study abroad. The Drury Center not only had a curriculum that aligned with the Architecture major but was also designed to offset the costs involved with studying abroad.

Study Abroad Alternatives

Despite this significant blow to the program, Dr. Robert Weddle, Dean of Hammons School of Architecture, is already working to find alternatives to the program.

“I can’t be too specific because plans are still going through approval. We intend to share by early December,” he explained. “Students in their second year will still be going to Greece, as the center will not close until May 2021. We made a commitment to second year students to have that opportunity.”

Dr. Weddle continued to explain possible options and changes.

“Generally, we want to continue to have semester-long programs. Not all students want that, but it is our intention to offer that. It’s possible that we may include Greece, just not in the same way. If we go that route, there won’t be a center with Drury staff, as that was a significant reason for increased costs,” said Dr. Weddle.

“We would also like to offer variation in duration. We currently offer a summer or a semester but would like to offer partial semesters in order to respond to a wider array of student desires,” he continued.

The Impact on Students

Described as “the flagship program for Drury’s extensive study abroad offerings” on Drury’s website, it is no wonder why many students are hurt and upset to lose the program.

Tim Anzalone is an architecture student who is currently studying in Aegina. He had a lot to say about his experiences on the Mediterranean island.

“We have a pretty rigorous schedule here, taking a studio class, a sketchbook class, a Greek culture class, and Greek 101 and 102. We get to travel all over Greece, as well as to Cyprus, and when we are not traveling, we get to live on the beautiful island of Aegina,” said Anzalone. “This experience has been life-changing. For an architecture major, and hopefully a future architect, this is almost like a capstone for our education.”

Photo via Tim Anzalone

Anzalone, along with second and third year architecture students, are the lucky few who get to have this experience. Unfortunately, first-year students are left wondering what’s to come.

“I’m pretty upset about it because it was one of the major selling points about coming to Drury to do architecture. I am aware that they are going to offer another option for us to complete the study abroad requirement, but the uncertainty of it all is pretty unnerving,” explained Katie Nelson, a freshman architecture student.

“I just hope that they will have an equal experience planned for us,” continued Nelson. “The idea of going to Greece is that we will get to experience classical architecture that doesn’t exist in the United States.”

Losing a Home Away From Home

Anzalone agrees that Greece is a unique experience and one of the programs that makes Drury a flocking point for those wishing to study architecture.

“Study abroad was one of the pillars the architecture program at Drury was founded on, and it’s one of many things that sets us apart from any other architecture school in the country. It’s rare to find an architecture program at a liberal arts school and even more rare to find that program with a required study abroad,” said Anzalone. “And to me, there is no greater example of liberal arts than a study abroad experience. We aren’t just learning about architecture here, we are learning about the world, and we are getting to cross into another culture.”

While many students are passionate about their study abroad experience, Anzalone believes that the center in Greece is something exceptional.

“While Drury has, and will continue I hope, to have many study abroad experiences available to students, the center in Greece offers something that I don’t think the other programs can. When you are here, you are home. This is Drury, except on the island of Aegina as opposed to Springfield,” explained Anzalone.

However, Dr. Weddle believes that students will have the chance to feel at home no matter where they choose to go.

“The center has had two different locations since its beginning in 2002,” said Dr. Weddle. “When the center moved from Volos to Aegina in 2011, many students that had studied in Volos were sad that future students would not have that experience. It’s a similar situation now. It’s an impactful experience and people will develop attachments to locations, but I am confident that the same will happen as we progress.”

Not only is Dr. Weddle confident that students will continue to make lasting memories, he is also confident that the loss of the program will not impact students’ interest.

“The demand for study abroad is consistent. My concern is that students have experiences that are stimulating. Faculty that organize study abroad trips will find more places,” said Dr. Weddle.

No program will replace the home away from home that is the Drury Center in Aegina, Greece. However, administration and faculty are working to find an alternative that will hopefully give students a similar amazing experience.

Article written by Delilah Gadd