Land Grant colleges were established in 1862 via passage of
the First Morrill Act.  To fund these schools, the federal
government gave land (land grants) to the states to be sold
and the proceeds were to be used to build the school.
 
Each school was to teach the "Agricultural and Mechanical
Arts" (hence A&M for a lot of the "cow" colleges) and military
science (hence they all must have ROTC, quite a problem
back in the 60's).  Also, the state could not be in rebellion
against the United States.
 
After the South lost the war, the southern states started their
land grant colleges.  These schools, as you can imagine, did
not want to educate the African Americans.  So in 1890,
congress passed the Second Morrill Act (Act of 1890), that
established "separate but equal" land grant colleges for
colored students.  These are your historically black colleges
of today.  They have the same rules and regs as the 1862
schools.
 
The 1890 act also set up an annual payment of $50K to each
1862 and 1890 school.  This amount was increased via
Bankhead-Jones.  All amounts were terminated in the 80's.
 
We now have land grant colleges in all 50 states, DC, and the
territories.
 
In 1994 Congress established land grant colleges on
(primarily) American Indian reservations.  These colleges are
funded through an endowment fund that is just getting off the
ground.
 
Now for the hockey angle.  Div 1 hockey schools that are
land grant institutions:
 
U Maine, U of New Hampshire, U-Mass Amherst (Hockey
East)
Cornell (part) and UVM (ECAC)
Michigan State, Ohio State, Alaska - Fairbanks  (CCHA)
Wisconsin, Minnesota (WCHA)
 
A number of other schools (Maryland, Delaware, West
Virginia, Iowa State, for example) play club.
 
 
I think North Dakota State (Fargo), not U of ND is the land
grant in North Dakota.
 
With the exception of Notre Dame, Denver and CC (?) all the
other Western schools are state schools, just not land
grants.
 
All the other Eastern schools are private.  You think that
makes a diffeence when it comes to recruiting??
 
A copy of the original Morrill Act of 1862 is in the National
Agricultural Library in Beltsville, MD.  It is kinda neat to see
Old Abe's signature.
 
Joe LaCour
 
PS I've worked with these schools most of my working life.  If
you want to know more, e-mail me privately.
 
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