Art and Catherine Nicholas, the owners of Wagonhound Land and Livestock Company in Wyoming, have donated $1.5 million to Colorado State University's Equine Sciences Program, noted for its outstanding work in equine reproduction and other areas.
The donation established the Wagonhound Land and Livestock Chair in Equine Sciences, named for the couple's well-known horse and cattle ranch near Douglas, Wyoming, which has been in operation since the 1880's and was purchased by Art and Catherine in 1999.
According to Art Nicholas, "The CSU Equine Sciences Program is absolutely among the best in the country, and that kind of excellence does not come free. We want to do what we can to maintain a program that benefits us and others in the agricultural community. It's gratifying to be able to help."
Begun in 1986, the CSU Equine Sciences Program was the first at a land-grant university to offer a four-year equine-science degree. Nearly 400 undergraduates from 39 states and several international countries are annually enrolled.
Jerry Black, who heads CSU's Equine Sciences Program, will hold the new Wagonhound chair.
The Colorado State University Foundation will invest the Wagonhound gift; earnings from the investment will provide a continual stream of operating funds for the Equine Sciences Program.
Art Nicholas serves on the board for the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, and he and Catherine are well known for their expansive western art and book collection and for their support of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association.