Transcript Slide 1

A Commitment to People
The Land Grant University Mission
in the United States
The Land Grant
University system
is the result of a
set of laws
passed by
Congress in 1862,
1887, 1890, 1914,
and 1994.
Origin of the Land Grant
System
The Morrill Act of
1862 authorized a
public university in
every state and
territory of the
United States.
Instead of money,
the federal
government gave
land to each state to
support the
program.
The Land Grant Mission
Morrill Act (1862):
“…teach …agriculture and the mechanical arts
… to promote liberal and practical education
of (ordinary people)….”
The Hatch Act (1887)
provided for the
establishment of
farms at Land Grant
universities where
professors conduct
research on
agricultural problems
faced by rural
citizens.
Expanding the Land Grant Act
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A second Morrill Act (1890) created Land
Grant universities in southern states to serve
freed slaves and their descendants.
In 1994, Congress created Tribal Colleges to
educate Native Americans.
The Smith Lever Act
(1914) established a
Cooperative Extension
Service affiliated with
each Land Grant
university.
Federal, state, and
county governments
work together to
provide public
education services.
The county Extension office is a branch office of
the Land Grant university in each state. Extension
educators in each county are university staff or
faculty and report to the main campus of the Land
Grant university.
Cooperative Extension
Mission
The mission of the Extension
Service is to provide citizens
access to research-based
education and learning
opportunities that are relevant to
important community issues and
which will contribute to the
quality of life for all citizens.
University Commitment to
Development
The Land Grant universities work closely with the
regulatory and economic promotion arms of our
state governments through both research and
educational programs.
Extension Impacts Citizens’
Lives
Economic Development
Community Development
Family and Youth Programs
Agriculture & Natural Resource Management
Environmental Concerns
Food Safety/Health/Nutrition
Animal Health
International Trade
The Land Grant educational system =
Research + Teaching + Extension
Research spans everything from the most
fundamental areas of inquiry to applied problem
solving efforts. Extension and teaching deliver
the results of research to university students and
to citizens across our states.
Trends in the Land Grant
System
Today
1914
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30% of US workers engaged
in agriculture
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Federal partner provided
50% of resources
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Focus: production agriculture
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Individual visits by Extension
Educators
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Less than 1% of US workers
engaged in production
agriculture
Federal partner provides
25% of resources
Focus: economic,
community, & quality of life
issues
Distance learning
technologies &
fee-for-service programs
Changing Focus
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Issues related to production agriculture and rural
life will continue to be major consumers of
knowledge.
The challenges facing US society are increasingly
complex. (Examples: environmental issues,
economic policy concerns, food safety, family life
quality, and serving new immigrant populations)
These new challenges require interdisciplinary
teams for their solution.
Land Grant System Funding
Trends
Example from Purdue University:
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2003-04 School of Agriculture budget:
$131,123,013
~25% comes from state general funds.
[General funds come from two sources: (1)
state appropriations (public funds that come
from tax revenues) and (2) student tuition
and fees.]
~75% comes from federal and state
government grants, private sector contracts,
and gifts.
Summary
The Land Grant University system:
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Is a unique, integrated teaching, research,
and extension system.
Relies on funding from federal, state, and
local government and, increasingly, from the
private sector.
Has been, and continues to be, the engine for
economic development in the United States.