Land-grant colleges were created in the mid-nineteenth century when the federal government sold off public lands and allowed states to use that money to create colleges. The land that was sold to support colleges was available because of a deliberate project to dispossess American Indians of land they inhabited. By encouraging westward migration,…

In this article, Robert M. Gates, former Secretary of Defense and chancellor of the College of William & Mary, makes three observations about public higher education: (1) Over the past generation we have seen a gradual abandonment of the principle that higher education is a public good and the emergence of a view that it is a private consumer…

The modern university has been called, "a series of separate schools and departments held together by a central heating system," and, in a play on this line, "a series of individual faculty entrepreneurs held together by a common grievance over parking." Whether parking, heating, or, more probable today, WiFi, these…

Public universities undertake business activities sometimes considered by private enterprise as unfairly competitive based on nonprofit advantages. This study was an inquiry into the attitudes and actions of chief business officers at public universities regarding these activities. The research population consisted of the 1862 Morrill Act Land…

The 2013 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 49th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The Digest has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977-78, 1983-84, and 1985-86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American…

This report discusses the current state of higher education, with a brief high-level overview of the market and a more detailed discussion and analysis of the financial aid system. It also discusses the important changes President Obama has made to make higher education more accessible and affordable. The key findings are: (1) The economic returns…

"Research Universities and the Future of America" presents critically important strategies for ensuring that our nation's research universities contribute strongly to America's prosperity, security, and national goals. Widely considered the best in the world, our nation's research universities today confront significant financial…

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 institutions, as a group, represent a system designed to provide higher education to the people of all classes in this country. In organization, they exemplify better than most other institutions the most effective relationship of campus instruction, research, and educational assistance for the people of all age groups through…

This bulletin contains a report of 89 land-grant institutions for the year ended June 30, 1949. A preliminary report giving selected data from those institutions that had reported at that time was prepared and distributed at the meeting of the Association of Land-grant Colleges and Universities in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 25-27, 1949. The…

Under the provisions of the Morrill Act of 1862, the income from certain public lands, or the equivalent in script, was granted to the States for the advancement of instruction in agriculture and the mechanic arts in at least one college in each State. Subsequent acts expanded the scope and increased the Federal support of the colleges and…

This document presents the texts of selected titles, sections, and amendments of federal laws dealing with specific aspects of postsecondary education. It is divided into the following major parts: (1) "General Higher Education Programs"; (2) "Native American Higher Education"; (3) "National Science Foundation"; and…

This annual bulletin, formerly prepared and published by the National Association of State Universities, has been published by the Bureau of Education for the past 15 years. The data given are taken from reports received from the offices of the presidents of the various institutions, and the figures printed are substantially as given in those…

This annual bulletin, formerly prepared and published by the National Association of State Universities, has been published by the Bureau of Education for the past 10 years. The data given are taken from reports received from the offices of the presidents of the various institutions, and the figures printed are substantially as-given in those…