Georgetown College President William H. Crouch, Jr., and Kentucky Horse Park Executive Director John Nicholson cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the Equine Scholars Center, which will serve as the central offices for Georgetown College’s Equine Scholars Program.

The ceremony also honored Larry Smith, who recently retired as the volunteer executive director, for all of the time and hard work he contributed to make the program a success.

The program, which pairs students’ academic pursuits with their individual interests in the horse industry, was started in 2004 by Smith and, since then, has been attracting equine enthusiasts from around the country to Georgetown College to pursue their education in the heart of horse country.

“When President Crouch approached me about the vision he had for the program, I thought it was the perfect fit for a first-class liberal arts college in Central Kentucky,” said Smith. “The opportunity to pair a superior education with real-life professional experiences in the Horse Capital of the World is something that many students around the country dream about.”

The Equine Scholars Program takes a unique approach to educating students about the equine industry by offering experiences that directly relate to both their educational focus and their individual interests in horses without requiring that they have an equine-related major or minor. Students in the program are eligible for a scholarship and an Equine Distinction on their transcripts. They take part in internships, outings, lectures, educational projects, volunteer opportunities and leadership exercises.

"The Equine Scholars Program is bringing a new breed of students to Georgetown College,” said Senator Damon Thayer, one of the program’s supporters. “These scholars are coming to Kentucky from across the country and are passionate about joining our horse industry and taking a proactive role in making it bigger and better."

Currently there are 14 students enrolled in the program, most of whom were in attendance for the event, and they plan to have at least 30 students by the fall semester.

“We are attracting students from as far away as California and Hawaii and as close as right here in Georgetown,” said Executive Director Jen Budge. “When you get that kind of response that quickly, you know you’re doing the right thing for the college and for the industry.”

For additional information, contact Jen Budge, Executive Director of the Equine Scholars Program at
(502) 863-8426 or (859) 494-4712 (cell); [email protected].


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