William Woods Plans Dedications for New Facilities
Thursday, October 5, 2006
Equestrian students in a dressage class
inside the new Rowland Applied Riding Arena.
FULTON, MO—For the second year in a row, William Woods University President Jahnae H. Barnett has announced the opening of new facilities including a new equestrian arena named the Rowland Applied Riding Arena. Dedication ceremonies for the arena and a new residence hall are planned for Oct. 13.
The new residence hall, known as the Randall B. Cutlip Residence Hall, is across the street from apartments that opened just last fall and down the street from the new Rowland Applied Riding Arena.
Dedication of Cutlip Hall, on the southwest corner of 12th and Ewing Streets, will be a 1 p.m., with a ceremony dedicating the arena, located one block north, scheduled for 5 p.m.
“It is only through the support of individuals who are such strong advocates for William Woods that we are able to celebrate these new additions,” said Dr. Barnett. “While Dr. Cutlip has supported William Woods since assuming his presidency in l960, the Rowlands are relatively ‘new’ to William Woods, and are interested in assisting the quality of the academic programs WWU offers.”
The need for additional facilities is the result of increased enrollment at William Woods University, both in overall student population and especially in the equestrian division.
Initial money for the residence hall came from an estate gift from Mary Roche, the late sister of WWU President Emeritus Dr. Randall B. Cutlip, as well as an additional gift from the Amy Shelton McNutt Charitable Trust. The arena was made possible through a lead gift from Sarah and Landon Rowland of Kansas City, Mo., and other WWU supporters.
Both Cutlip, who lives in Corpus Christi, Texas, and the Rowlands will be on hand for the respective dedications.
Cutlip was president of William Woods from 1960 to 1980 and currently serves on the WWU Board of Trustees. Under his leadership as college president, William Woods transitioned from a two-year to a four-year college and began the first equestrian science major in the country, as well as the first paralegal program accredited by the American Bar Association.
The new residence hall, home to 62 students, features suite-style living in a variety of room configurations. Two air-conditioned double-occupancy rooms share a bathroom. A limited number of suites also have their own living room. Residents of the hall have access to lounges, study rooms, a kitchen and laundry facilities.
The Rowland Applied Riding Arena is 103 ft. by 220 ft. The arena is a heated teaching facility with viewing space. The new arena is rectangular, which is the ideal design for instructing hunter jumpers and dressage horses. It benefits all four of the seats the WWU equestrian division offers, however, by providing more space overall. The project also included the conversion of a small back arena into an area with 23 additional stalls, a wash rack and tack room.
William Woods University is recognized as the finest equestrian studies programs in the country—filling a national, regional and local demand for graduates holding a four-year equestrian science degree. WWU, in 1972, was the first school in the country to offer a bachelor’s degree in equestrian science. A degree in equine administration was added in 1992.
Sarah Rowland breeds and raises American Saddlebred horses, which she has ridden since growing up in Moberly, Mo. This is not the first time she and her husband have made contributions to the WWU equestrian program. Together they endowed an equestrian scholarship. Landon H. Rowland is chairman emeritus of Janus Capital Group.
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