Massachusetts’ 1862 Land-Grant Institution: University of Massachusetts Amherst

 https://www.umass.edu @UMassAmherst

 The university was founded in 1863 as the Massachusetts Agricultural College (MIT also was designated a land-grant institution of the state of Massachusetts that same year), and in 1867 it admitted its first class of students. The school was renamed Massachusetts State College in 1931, and its name was again changed to the University of Massachusetts in 1947. In 2003, the Massachusetts State Legislature designated UMass Amherst as the flagship campus of the UMass system that also includes campuses in Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, Springfield, and its medical school in Worcester.

Chancellor: Kumble R. Subbaswamy became the chancellor of UMass Amherst in 2012. In terms of his land-grant background, President Subbaswamy previously served as provost at the land-grant institution of the University of Kentucky. He also was a post-doctoral fellow in the land-grant system of the University of California. @ KSubbaswamy

 Massachusetts’ 1862 Land-Grant Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

 http://www.mit.edu  @MIT

A charter for the incorporation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was signed by the governor of Massachusetts on April 10, 1861. In 1863, it was named (along with the Massachusetts Agricultural College) a land-grant institution of the state of Massachusetts. Proceeds from land sales went toward new buildings in the Back Bay while its first classes were held in the Mercantile Building in Boston in 1865. MIT informally was known as “Boston Tech” throughout much of its early existence, and its proximity to Harvard fostered several (failed) attempts to merge the two schools.

President: L. Rafael Reif has served as the president of MIT since 2012. Previously, he also served as provost of this school, and he also was a professor in the electrical engineering and computer science department.

Maryland’s 1862 Land-Grant Institution: University of Maryland

 https://umd.edu UofMaryland

Established in 1856 as the Maryland Agricultural College, the school admitted its first students in 1859. The school became a land grant college in 1864; however, financial problems combined with significant enrollment declines sent the school into bankruptcy. The campus subsequently was used as a boys preparatory school until 1867, when the school reopened. The state took control of the school in 1916 and renamed it Maryland State College. In 1920, the college became part of the existing University of Maryland, replacing St. John’s College, Annapolis as the University’s undergraduate campus. When the state higher education system was restructured in 1988, the school was renamed University of Maryland, College Park. In 1997, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation allowing the school to be known simply as the University of Maryland.

President: Wallace D. Loh became the president of the University of Maryland in 2010. A native of China, he moved with his family to Peru before immigrating to the United States after high school. President Loh has some land-grant experience in his educational background, having received a master’s degree from the land-grant institution Cornell University. @presidentloh

Maryland’s 1890 Land-Grant Institution: University of Maryland Eastern Shore

 https:/e/www.umes.edu @umesnews

Established in 1886 as the Delaware Conference Academy in Princess Anne as a preparatory school for Morgan College. In 1890, funding from the second Morrill Act formalized a relationship between the state and Morgan College to offer courses on farming techniques through what became known as Princess Anne Academy, and then renamed again as the Eastern Shore Branch of Maryland Agricultural College. In 1970, the school received its current name of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

President: Juliette Bell assumed the position of president of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2012. Prior to this position, she was the chief academic officer at Central State University, the state of Ohio’s 1890 land-grant institution. @umespresi15

Maine’s 1862 Land-Grant Institution: University of Maine

https://umaine.edu @UMaine

In 1865, the Maine legislature established the Maine State College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts. The school opened in 1868, and subsequently changed its name to the University of Maine in 1897. In 1968, the school was renamed the University of Maine at Orono when the University of Maine system was established. The name was changed back to the University of Maine in 1986.

President: Joan Ferrini-Mundy became the president of the University of Maine and the University of Maine at Machias in 2018. Prior to this position, she was the chief operating officer of the National Science Foundation. President Ferrini-Mundy has an extensive land-grant pedigree, having received bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the land-grant institution University of New Hampshire. Also, she was a faculty member at the land-grant institution Michigan State University. @JFerriniMundy

Louisiana’s 1862 Land-Grant Institution: Louisiana State University

 https://www.lsu.edu @LSU

In 1853, the Louisiana General Assembly established the Seminary of Learning of the State of Louisiana in Rapides Parish, modeled after the Virginia Military Institute. The institution opened in 1860 with Colonel William Tecumseh Sherman as its superintendent. In 1861, Sherman resigned his position when Louisiana became the sixth state to secede from the Union, and the school subsequently closed with the start of the American Civil War. The seminary officially reopened in 1865, and then burned to the ground in 1869. It was reestablished later that same year in Baton Rouge.  In 1870, the name of the institution was officially changed to Louisiana State University. In 1874, the Louisiana State University Agricultural & Mechanical College was established in New Orleans by the Louisiana legislature. It operated until 1877,when it merged with Louisiana State University and was moved to the Baton Rouge site. This prompted the final name change for the university to the Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. However, the short-form name Louisiana State University has widespread usage, including official documents such as diplomas.

President: F. King Alexander was named the president of Louisiana State University in 2013. President Alexander has many land-grant roots, including a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also was a president within California’s land-grant system, leading California State University prior to his appointment at LSU. Further, he was a faculty member at the land-grant institution the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. @lsuprez

Louisiana’s 1890 Land-Grant Institution: Southern University and A&M College

http://www.subr.edu/ @SouthernU_BR

In 1880, the Louisiana General Assembly chartered Southern College, and the school opened in New Orleans in 1881. In 1890, the legislature established an Agricultural and Mechanical department and designated Southern as the land-grant college for African-American students. In 1974, the legislature established the Southern University System consisting of: Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge; Southern University, New Orleans; Southern University Law Center; Southern University Agricultural Center; and Southern University, Shreveport.

President: In 2015, Ray L. Belton was named the president of Southern University and the chancellor of the Southern University system, the nation’s only historically black university system. President Belton is a product of this 1890 land-grant system, having graduated with degrees from Southern University at Shreveport and Southern University in Baton Rouge. @SUSprez

Kentucky’s 1862 Land-Grant Institution: University of Kentucky

http://www.uky.edu @universityofky

Founded in 1865 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, a publicly chartered department of Kentucky University. In 1888, the A&M college separated from Kentucky University (now known as Transylvania University). In 1908, the school was renamed “State University, Lexington, Kentucky,” and then in 1916 changed its name to the University of Kentucky.

President: Eli Capilouto was named the president of the University of Kentucky in 2011. He is a native of Alabama and holds a doctoral degree in dental medicine from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a doctorate in health policy and management from Harvard University. @UKypres

Kentucky’s 1890 Land-Grant Institution: Kentucky State University

https://kysu.edu @KYStateU

Kentucky State University was chartered in May 1886 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons. In 1902, the name was changed to Kentucky Normal and Industrial Institute for Colored Persons. The name was changed again in 1926 to Kentucky State Industrial College for Colored Persons. In 1938, the school was renamed the Kentucky State College for Negroes, and then the term “for Negroes” was dropped in 1952. In 1972, the school’s name was changed to Kentucky State University.

President: In 2017, M. Christopher Brown II was named president of Kentucky State University. President Brown has an impressive land-grant pedigree, having earned a bachelor’s in elementary education from the land-grant institution South Carolina State University, a master’s in education policy and evaluation from the land-grant institution the University of Kentucky, and a doctorate in higher education from the land-grant institution the Pennsylvania State University. Further, he also held faculty positions at several land-grant institutions, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Penn State. He also served as the president the land-grant institution of Alcorn State University and the provost of the land-grant institution Southern University and A & M College. @DrMCB2

Kansas 1862 Land-Grant Institution: Kansas State University

 https://www.k-state.edu @KState

The Kansas State Agricultural College was founded in 1863, becoming the first land-grant college created under the Morrill Act. In 1931, the name of the school was changed to the Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science. In 1959, the name was changed again to Kansas State University of Agriculture and Applied Science. However, the short-form name Kansas State University has widespread usage, including official documents such as diplomas.

President: In 2016, Richard B. Myers became the president of Kansas State University. He is a retired U.S. Air Force General, and is an alumnus of Kansas State, having received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He joined the Air Force as the direct result of having participated in K-State’s ROTC program. President Myers also has a master’s degree in business administration from the land-grant institution of Auburn University.

Kansas 1994 Land-Grant Institution: Haskell Indian Nations University

http://www.haskell.edu @HaskellU

In 1884, the United States Indian Industrial Training School opened as a trade school for Native American youth. In 1887, the name of the school was changed to the Haskell Institute, named after a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas. In 1965, Haskell graduated its last high school class and, two years later, became Haskell Indian Junior College. In 1993, the school became a four-year institution and was renamed Haskell Indian Nations University.

President: In 2014, Venida S. Chenault became the president of Haskell Indian Nations University. President Chenault is an enrolled member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, and earned three degrees from the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare.

Iowa’s 1862 Land-Grant Institution: Iowa State University

https://www.iastate.edu @IowaStateU

In 1858, the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm was officially established. Iowa was the first state in the nation to accept the provisions of the 1862 Morrill Act. In 1898, it was renamed Iowa State College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts. In 1959, the college was officially renamed Iowa State University of Science and Technology. However, the short-form name Iowa State University has widespread usage, including official documents such as diplomas.

President: In 2017, Wendy Wintersteen became the first woman president of Iowa State University. Dr. Wintersteen has a strong land-grant pedigree, holding a bachelor’s degree in crop production from the land-grant institution of Kansas State University and a doctorate in entomology from her current land-grant institution of Iowa State University.

Indiana’s 1862 Land-Grant Institution: Purdue University

 https://www.purdue.edu @LifeAtPurdue

Purdue University was founded in 1869 by the Indiana General Assembly. Named after its primary benefactor – John Purdue, a business leader from Lafayette, Indiana – the university held its first classes in 1874.

President: Mitch Daniels became the president of Purdue University in 2013. He is the former governor of Indiana, as well as having served as the Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. @purduemitch

Illinois’s 1862 Land-Grant Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

 http://www.illinois.edu @Illinois_Alma

Founded in 1867 as the Illinois Industrial University. In 1885, its name was changed to the University of Illinois. In 1982, the university officially changed its name to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to distinguish its main campus within the University of Illinois system; other campuses exist in Springfield and Chicago (the site of the university’s medical center).

President: Timothy L. Kileen took office as the president of the University of Illinois system in 2015. While he personally had no prior affiliations with land-grant institutions, Killeen’s wife, Roberta M. Johnson, holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in geophysics and space physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, part of California’s land-grant higher education system.