Genevieve K. Croft wrote this CRS report (updated 9 August 2022): 'The U.S. Land-Grant University System - Overview and Role in Agricultural Research'.
Download CRS_Report_US_Land_Grant_University_System_9August2022
It's an interesting read, especially if you know little or nothing about the land-grant university system. It is far more than just 'ag schools'. I have spent many of my adult years at such schools: University of Arizona (PhD); University of Nevada-Reno/Desert Research Institute (DRI is a separate entity, not part of UNR but I taught at UNR); and finally my present sojourn at Oregon State University. I spent the most amount of time (17 years) at the University of New Mexico, not a land-grant school, but an HSI (Hispanic-Serving Institution). There are also HBCUs. There are also schools that serve the Native American population - TCUs -Tribal Colleges and Universities that were created in 1994.
I should add that the original land-grant universities created in 1862 by he Morrill Act (the HBCUs came in 1890) had their foundations built by expropriating indigenous lands. In 2020 the High Country News had a whole issue devoted to 'Land-Grab Universities'. Not a pretty sight.
Here's the CRS report's summary and some graphics (click on the graphics to enlarge them):
Summary
With the passage of the first Morrill Act in 1862, the United States began a novel policy of providing federal support for post-secondary education, focused on agriculture and the mechanical arts. The national system of land-grant colleges and universities that has developed since then is recognized for its breadth, reach, and excellence in teaching, research, and extension. Land-grant institutions are located in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and the insular areas—including U.S. territories and freely associated states. These institutions educate the next generation of farmers, ranchers, and citizens, and form the backbone of a national network of agricultural extension and experiment stations.The land-grant university system has continued to evolve through federal legislation. The federal government provides funds, often with nonfederal matching requirements, to execute the system’s three-fold mission of agricultural teaching, research, and extension. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) distributes these funds to the states as capacity grants, on a formula basis as determined by statute, or to participating institutions on a competitive basis. The Morrill Acts of 1862 (12 Stat. 503) and 1890 (26 Stat. 417), and the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-382, §§531-535) established the three institutional categories of the land-grant system, now known as the 1862, 1890, and 1994 Institutions. The 1862 Institutions are the first land-grant institutions; 1890 Institutions are historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs); and 1994 Institutions are tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). Later legislation also recognized additional institutional categories, including non-land-grant colleges of agriculture (NLGCAs Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities (HSACUs), for specific programs.
The Hatch Act of 1887 (24 Stat. 440), Evans-Allen Act of 1977 (P.L. 95-113, §1445), and provisions of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (AREERA, P.L. 105-185) provide the framework for funding research at land-grant institutions. State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAESs) associated with 1862 Institutions receive federal research capacity funds with a one-to-one nonfederal matching requirement. The 1890 Institutions also receive federal research capacity funds with this matching requirement, yet USDA can waive up to 50% of the required match. The 1994 Institutions can receive federal research funds through competitive grants programs. They may also use interest distributions from the Native American Institutions Endowment Fund, allocated on a formula basis, at their discretion.
The land-grant university system operates the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service (CES) in partnership with federal, state, and local governments. The CES provides nonformal education to agricultural producers and communities through its network of offices located in most of the more than 3,000 U.S. counties and the insular areas. The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 (38 Stat. 372), National Agricultural Research, Education, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (NARETPA, P.L. 95-113, §§1444-1445), and AREERA extension provisions guide agricultural extension funding in the land-grant university system. The 1862 and 1890 Institutions receive federal capacity funds, according to separate formulas with nonfederal matching requirements. USDA may waive up to 50% of the matching requirement for 1890 Institutions. The 1994 Institutions may receive federal extension funding through competitive grants.
Looking forward, public investment in agricultural research; disparities in state matching funds among the different classes of land-grant institutions; and the funding of 1994 Institutions may invite congressional engagement.
Enjoy!
"No, we didn’t consult with anyone with experience designing surveys or writing survey questions in designing our new college survey, but several of us had a research methods course decades ago and we thought it was great. Why do you ask?" - @ass_deans
Comments