Over the past 150 years, land-grant universities—America’s first public institutions of higher learning—have had a profound impact on the well-being of our nation. Founded by the 1862 Morrill Land Grant Act and signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln, land-grant universities were given a three-part mission: to teach, to conduct research, and to engage communities across each state in order to meet their localized needs.

Gathered in honor of The Ohio State University’s sesquicentennial celebration, this collection of essays highlights the significant contributions that Ohio State continues to make as part of its twenty-first-century land-grant mission. Authors from across the university—representing fields as various as agriculture, dance, English, engineering, family science, geography, medicine, social work, and veterinary science—provide contributions that highlight the preeminent status of The Ohio State University. In addition, the perspectives of alumni, staff members, and senior administrators (both present and former) round out the picture of Ohio State as the first among equals regarding its land-grant peers. Overall, contributors draw on rich and varied institutional backgrounds to offer invaluable insights for higher education administrators and scholars across the US.

Purchasing Information
Publisher: The Ohio State University Press
296 pages
ISBN: 978-0-8142-1444-2

Reviews:

“A beautiful compilation of essays celebrating the past, present, and future of one of America’s most successful and important land-grant universities. With contributions from leading scholars, presidents, provosts, and faculty, the case for the land-grant as an institutional calling is made clear.”

—David V. Rosowsky, Provost Emeritus, University of Vermont

“While this book is a celebration of Ohio State’s sesquicentennial, its essays are much, much more. It is an assortment of perspectives. A celebration of prominence. A challenge to be preeminent. An anchor to the past. A telescope for the future. The book is a loving and fitting tribute to a great university, and its essays will long serve as cairns for everyone involved in public higher education.”

—Barry H. Dunn, President, South Dakota State University