The extension role of Tuskegee Institute and the 16 black land grant colleges established by the Morrill Act of 1890 has been to diffuse among the non-university citizens of America useful and practical information on agriculture, home economics, and related areas. Tuskegee's extension efforts began in 1880 and flourished under the leadership of Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. The Smith-Lever Act created the Extension Service in 1914 and, by 1923, 294 black agents were working in 16 southern states. However, all funds were administered by the white 1862 land grant universities. Passage of the United States Department of Agriculture 1972 Appropriation Act enabled the black land grant schools to administer their own programs. Current 1890 land grant extension programs have divided community and rural development programs into the following components: leadership development, organization development and maintenance, safety, leisure and cultural education, economic development, manpower and careers, housing and home environment, natural resources and environment, and business management and economics. Extension efforts by the 1890 organizations include stress management, job finding and retraining programs, community promotion packaging, public policy training, and fiscal management and financing alternatives for rural communities. (NEC)