History of Iowa State
University
A Land Grand Institution
Here's a brief history lesson on the landgrant university and its unique place in
American education.
Democracy - a new idea
Very early in our history, it became obvious to
our forefathers that if our
"experiment with democracy"
was to succeed, there was need for an informed
and educated citizenry.
To be able to participate in government,
people needed to be able to read, write,
and communicate. This meant a free
education for all children.
Up to this point in history education,
especially higher education, was
reserved for the wealthy, clergy and
the very elite.
By the mid-1800’s another radical concept
emerged.
Education for the sons and daughters of
the
“working class”
Morrill Act
We’re No. 1
The act called
for the federal
government to
provide each
state with a
grant of land
that could be
sold to finance
a college, hence
the name "landgrant."
Iowa was the first
state to accept the
provisions of the
Morrill Act and
good money
managers
parlayed 204,000
acres into an
$800,000
endowment for a
university.
Forged in the midst of the Civil War and signed
into law by President Abraham Lincoln, the
Land-Grant Act of 1862 introduced a radical
idea to American education -- that higher
education should be practical and available to
the masses.
These institutions had to show that
race and color were not admissions
criteria. In the South, "separate but
equal" colleges, called the "1890
land-grants," sprang up.
From the beginning, Iowa State had an open
enrollment policy and its first African American
student, George Washington Carver, enrolled in
1891.
On a vote of 4 to 3, women were allowed at Iowa
State from the beginning.
Subjects taught had to be of practical
application to making a living and adding to
the overall economy.
Two other pieces of legislation
further defined land-grant colleges.
Both acts had origins at Iowa State.
The Hatch Act of 1887 created the agricultural
experiment station program.
The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 extended the concept of
service to the community by creating the federal
Cooperative Extension Service.
It is no surprise that land-grant colleges quickly
embraced their mission to improve American
agriculture. Half the U.S. population lived on
farms and another 10 percent were employed in
agriculture.
Land-Grant Institutions Today
"Society is changing, not only in who is feeding us,
but in terms of where people are living, what their
needs are, what kind of educational needs they have,"
Martin Jischke, former ISU President said,
"Universities in general, and land-grant universities in
particular, are being called on to change, adapt.”
“The door is wide open for extension
in many ways, when it comes to new
technologies, like virtual classrooms
and distance learning.” -- Vice provost
for extension Stan Johnson
And The History Continues Every Day
Created by
Barbara Hug
County Extension Education Director
ISU Extension Polk County
Cartoon series
Written by Diana Pounds
Illustrated by Buck Jones
Used with the permission of Diana Pounds