Tag: Land-grant Colleges

WVU Set to Launch A New Center to Study Land-Grant Institutions

West Virginia University has created the Center for the Future of Land-Grant Education to study changes that have occurred in higher education during the past several decades. The center will officially launch Thursday, Sept. 28th at the Erickson Alumni Center. 

The center will be housed in the WVU College of Education and Human Services and will serve as a hub for researchers. According to a WVU news release, the center’s goal is for researchers to address the challenge of providing a quality education as public funding is reduced and to bridge the disconnect between higher education and the community. 

The Center for the Future of Land-Grant Education will be open to the public. It will release an annual report with data highlighting the state of land-grant systems by examining factors such as financial access, and engagement among faculty and students. 

Thursday Sept. 28th at 4pm there will be a panel of experts at the Erickson Alumni Center to officially launch the center, to RSVP visit bit.ly/center-rsvp

February 7, 1867: West Virginia University Founded

The state legislature established West Virginia University on February 7, 1867. Morgantown was selected as the site for the federal land-grant institution.

The land-grant movement originated in Civil War-era legislation to support an agriculture college in each state. For a brief time in its beginning, WVU was officially named the Agricultural College of West Virginia.

Land-grant colleges had to emphasize agriculture and the mechanic arts but included other subjects as well.  The college opened its doors in September 1867. Its first class totaled 124, although all but six were at the preparatory level—essentially like a high school.

The school faced many early challenges. There was interference from the state legislature, and faculty turnover was high due to poor pay.

In addition, the university lacked statewide support, particularly from legislators from the southern part of the state, who felt Morgantown was too far north to benefit most West Virginians.

Over time, though, WVU became a statewide institution and much more. It is West Virginia’s leading research institution and helps bond together West Virginians, past and present, around a common identity: that of the self-reliant Mountaineer.

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