The Morrill Act of 1862 provided the funding mechanism for the modern land-grant college system. In the over 160 years since its passage, the tripartite land-grant mission of teaching, research, and service has become the most recognizable legacy of the legislation. Recent scholars of land-grant education caution against viewing the history of…

The modern research university is a global institution with a rich history that stretches into an ivy-laden past, but for as much as we think we know about that past, most of the writings that have recorded it are scattered across many archives and, in many cases, have yet to be translated into English. With this book, Paul Reitter, Chad Wellmon,…

Historically Black colleges and universities are a unique institutional cohort in American higher education. These colleges have been celebrated for their achievements and critiqued for their composition at differing points during their collective history. This article addresses contemporary ebbs and flows of their relevance and reputation in the…

During the twentieth-century, American engineers harnessed the atom, sent men to the moon, and literally reshaped the world. They re-routed rivers to create giant hydroelectric dams, created a massive and interconnected highway system, and designed skyscrapers, jets, computers, and the internet. As a modern profession, engineering boasted strong…

President Lincoln signed the Morrill Land-grant Act in 1862, launching a nationwide project in public higher education that would build democracy, prosperity, and competitiveness to levels undreamed of 150 years ago. As student costs skyrocket, driven by steep drops in public funding, the viability of that project, like the nation itself, is under…

This document provides an overview and history of the land-grant system, as well as copies of the original and amended legislation affecting the land-grant colleges. Land-grant colleges or universities have been designated by their state legislatures or Congress to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862, 1890 and 1994. The original…

The Land-Grant college system launched by the Congressman from Vermont, Justin Morrill, was to direct higher education down new paths. (Editor/RK)

The Morrill Land Grant Act (1862) granted public land to the states to establish agricultural and mechanical colleges. The land grant concept of bringing the services of the colleges to the farmers and mechanics was implemented by the Hatch Act (1887). Other important acts were the Second Morrill Act (1890), which gave monetary supplements to…

Laws and rulings affecting resident instruction in the land-grant colleges and universities are described. The land grant college or university is recognized and designated by the legislature of the state as being qualified to fulfill the provisions and to receive the benefits of either or both the First Morrill Act of 1862 or the Second Morrill…

In Colonial America vocational education remained separate from defined educational settings and was confined to the working classes. Separation of vocational training from the colleges persisted until the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s, at which time increased dependence on technology led educators to acknowledge the…

From institutional histories, this article documents misconceptions that the early land-grant colleges were unique in the land-grant heritage, derived from student demand, "revolutionized" post-Civil War agriculture and industry, and enjoyed state favor. Our neglect to understand their dominant national role and incremental educational…