Imagine a class of agricultural students practicing parliamentary procedure:
Walter: I move that we recognize Michigan State University as the first land grant college.
Frenchie: – I second the motion
Chairperson: A motion has been properly moved and seconded that Michigan State was the first land grant college. Is there any discussion?
Miss Lion: I object to this motion! Everyone knows Penn State was the first land grant college.
Mr. Katt: I disagree with the motion and Miss Lion. Kansas State was the first land grant college?
Sy Clone: Poppycock. Iowa State was the first land grant college.
So what do you think? Who is correct? The answer might depend upon whom you ask and how you phrase the question.
But First a Quick Review
In 1862 the Morrill Act was signed into law giving each state a grant of land for the establishment of an agricultural college. The exact wording of the purpose of the act was:
to the endowment, support, and maintenance of at least one college where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts…in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life.
The colleges supported by this legislation were known as land grant colleges. In 1890 a second Morrill Act was passed to provide more funding for the established colleges and to establish agricultural colleges for people of color in states where segregation was practiced. For more information about land grant colleges you might want to review the Friday Footnotes for April 19, 2019 (The 1862-Land-Grant Colleges) and April 26,2019 (The 1890 and 1994 Land-Grant Colleges).
Now Back to the Question of Which State Was First?
Apparently, it is human nature to want to be the first in just about everything. The license plates for North Carolina cars proudly state “First in Flight” which commemorates the Wright Brothers first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, NC even though the Wright brothers were from Ohio. To counter that claim Ohio has a “Birthplace of Aviation” license plate.
Figure 1. License Plates from Ohio and North Carolina.
So, which student in the parliamentary procedure practice session got it right?
Since Microsoft Word is what I use to prepare the Friday Footnote, I asked the built-in AI tool, CoPilot, a question about the first land grant college? The answer I got reminded me of a politician. Here is what CoPilot said:
The debate over the origins of the first land grant college is one that echoes through the halls of academia. Each institution boasts a storied history of agricultural education and community service, vying for recognition as the pioneer in this realm. The argument hinges on historical interpretations and regional pride, leaving the definitive answer somewhat elusive. However, what remains indisputable is the significant impact that these institutions have had on agricultural education and the development of their respective states.
While the question of precedence may stir passionate arguments, it is essential to acknowledge the shared mission these colleges uphold. They have each played a crucial role in promoting agricultural education, fostering innovation, and empowering students to become leaders in the field. This collective effort has laid a foundation for robust agricultural practices and advancements that continue to benefit society.
So either CoPilot didn’t know or wanted to provide a diplomatic answer. I asked CoPilot a similar question several days later with slight variations in wording and got different answers
Inquiry 1 – Which state was the first to have a land grant college? The answer was MIchigan.
Inquiry 2 – Who should get credit for being the first state with a land grant college? The answer was Iowa.
So much for asking CoPilot. Next I went to Wikipedia. Here is what was written:
Iowa was the first state legislature to accept its provisions, on September 11, 1862. Iowa designated the State Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) as the land-grant college on March 29, 1864. The first land-grant institution open under the Act was Kansas State University, which was established on February 16, 1863, and opened on September 2, 1863.
That is clear as mud — was it Iowa State or Kansas State. Most academicians are hesitant to use Wikipedia as an authoritative source of information because of the methodology used in creating Wikipedia.
Perhaps Siri knows, so I asked Siri which state had the first land grant college. Her response was “Kansas was the first state to take advantage of the land grant program with the establishment of Kansas State University in 1863, followed by Iowa which established State Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) in 1863.
Argh! Perhaps the United States government can provide an answer. The National Postal Museum, a part of the Smithsonian Institution, describes a U. S. Postage stamp issued in 1955. The website states:
This Land Grant Colleges Issue stamp commemorates the centennial of the founding of Michigan State University and Pennsylvania State University, the first of the land grant institutions.
Figure 2. Stamp from the Smithsonian Institution.
What the heck! I might as well ask Google the question “Which state had the first land grant college?” So here is the AI overview from Google:
The first state to establish a land-grant college was Michigan, with the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan (now Michigan State University) being founded in 1855. Prior to the Morrill Act of 1862, Michigan already had a land-grant college, serving as a model for the federal act. While Georgia was the first to set aside land for higher education (1784), it didn’t establish a land-grant college in the same way as Michigan. Pennsylvania followed suit in 1855, establishing its own land-grant college, The Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania (now Penn State).
It was interesting to note the disclaimer at the bottom of the Google AI Overview which stated, “AI responses may include mistakes.” I have found this to be true.
So What is the Answer?
For several weeks the Friday Footnotes have focused on agricultural education in Michigan. When I started writing this Footnote my idea was to write about Michigan State University as the first land grant college. However, there seems to be some differences of opinion as to how to identify the first land grant college. Was it when the state accepted the provisions of the Morrill Act? Was it when the college officially opened its doors and started teaching classes? Or are there some other criteria?
The 1850 revised constitution of the State of Michigan called for the establishment of an agricultural college AND provided for a land grant to fund the institution. Article 13, Section 11 of the 1850 revised constitution for Michigan states:
Sec. 11. The Legislature shall encourage the promotion of intellectual, scientific, and agricultural improvement; and shall, as soon as practicable, provide for the establishment of an Agricultural School. The Legislature may appropriate the twenty-two sections of Salt Spring Lands now unappropriated, or the money arising from the sale of the same, where such lands have been already sold, and any land which may hereafter be granted or appropriated for such purpose, for the support and maintenance of such School, and may make the same a branch of the University, for instruction in agriculture and the natural sciences connected therewith, and place the same under the supervision of the Regents of the University.
What is now Michigan State University was founded by the state legislature in 1855. This was seven years before the passage of the Morrill Act. The name was the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan. In 1861 the name was changed to State Agricultural College.
The first classes were taught by five faculty members to 63 students starting in May of 1857, The MSU website states, “MSU was the first institution of higher learning in the United States to teach scientific agriculture.” The first class graduated in 1861.
So one could make a reasonable argument that Michigan State University was the first land grant agricultural college since it was established and was operating before other states accepted the provisions of the Morrill Act AND it was created by a land grant.
Figure 3. A sign at Michigan State University. Similar historical markers can be found at Iowa State and Penn State.
Concluding Remarks
Semantics. It’s all about how you want to phrase the question about the first land grant college. If you walk across the campus at Michigan State you will encounter the sign below that proclaims it is “The Pioneer Land Grant College.” And that is certainly true.
Figure 4. A sign at Michigan State.
Michigan State was a land grant college before colleges were identified as such by the passage of the Morrill Act. It reminds me of the Barbara Mandrell song about being country when country wasn’t cool. Michigan State was a land grant college before being a land grant college was cool. All you have to do is look at the image and see how cool it is at Michigan State.
We should remember what the Microsoft Word CoPilot AI feature said about the land grant colleges:
While the question of precedence may stir passionate arguments, it is essential to acknowledge the shared mission these colleges uphold. They have each played a crucial role in promoting agricultural education, fostering innovation, and empowering students to become leaders in the field. This collective effort has laid a foundation for robust agricultural practices and advancements that continue to benefit society.