Rogers State University students and employees can now visit Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve free of charge with their RSU ID, courtesy of a partnership between the university and the historic museum.
Over winter break, RSU assistant professor and faculty advisor Dr. David Bath accompanied several students to tour the historic museum and wildlife preserve in Bartlesville.
“We’re currently defining the scope of what this partnership will entail but for now, any student currently enrolled (in RSU) or anyone associated with the university (faculty and staff) can show an ID and get free admission (to Woolaroc),” said Ronda Riden, director of the RSU Bartlesville campus. “We’re hoping that this can eventually go beyond free admission to possibly offering internships, and even expanding within the variety of the various departments, whether that be the biological sciences, the arts and sciences, on the history side of things, etc.”
Bath said the RSU students whom he accompanied Woolaroc found it to be enjoyable as well as educational.
“The trip (to Woolaroc) we took recently was an exciting one,” Bath said. “We took students who were in the dorms over the winter break that had nothing to do and offered them a unique outing. While we were at Woolaroc, the CEO and their curator took us around, showed us the various exhibits, gave us a broad history of the campus, the organization, and the museum.
“This partnership with Woolaroc is certainly beneficial to both our students and the museum, and we look forward to seeing it develop further,” he said.
Woolaroc is a museum and wildlife preserve located in the Osage Hills of northeastern Oklahoma on Oklahoma State Highway 123, about 12 miles southwest of Bartlesville. Woolaroc was established in 1925 as the ranch retreat of oilman Frank Phillips.