The history of a land grant university

Although few students know what the term “land grant university” means, it plays a role in every part of MSU from its founding to the way the school is funded. While there are many land grant universities across the U.S., the way MSU interacts with the community is unique.

The land grant university system dates back to the American Civil War era when President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862. This act allocated 6.3 million acres of federal land and required each state to have at least one college to create education and research opportunities in science, classical studies, agriculture and engineering. This act created a number of opportunities across the country but did not reach Montana until much later.

As a result of the Land Grant Act, MSU was founded shortly after Montana became the 41st state in the Union. MSU was established in 1893 as the Agricultural College of the State of Montana. After failing to be awarded the state capital, Bozeman was given the first state school in Montana.

This act continues to be prevalent and practiced today. In order for a land grant university to benefit from receiving federal funding and remaining on federal land, it must maintain several programs in agriculture and engineering as well as an ROTC program. It also requires that the school be accessible to all. Previously, this meant that public institutions wouldn’t demand students to have knowledge of dead languages such as Greek and Latin. Now, many institutions favor in state students by either lowering the price of tuition or not requiring challenging requirements for entry.

This link to the past is what made MSU prevalent as an engineering and agricultural school and the impacts of the Land Grant Act historic act remain relevant today.