Lindenwood University Athletics

Fern Bittner, a Professor Emerita of Lindenwood, served as the Director of Horsemanship at Lindenwood from 1954-80. 

Bittner helped increase the interest in horsemanship at Lindenwood and managed the Beta Chi program for nearly 30 years. The Beta Chi program was comprised of a large numbers of Lindenwood students whose interest in the program led to a new 40-stall stable being built on campus in 1968. 

Throughout the years, Bittner helped students in the horsemanship department exhibit their horses at area shows, including an annual spring show sponsored by Lindenwood’s Beta Chi chapter. After the new stables were built, the Missouri Horse Shows Association awarded the stables second place in the High Point Stable contest, and Lindenwood received the Horse Show of the Year award. The equestrian program was of great importance to Lindenwood for many years, and the impact that Bittner had on her students and the program were profound.