Morrill Act celebration planned April 16 – 21

April 5, 2012

Marmian Grimes

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will celebrate its roots April 16 – 21 with activities commemorating the 150th anniversary of the landmark Morrill Act.

Activities will include geocaching and puzzle contests, more than a dozen free Cooperative Extension Service classes and a 7 p.m. lecture April 16 by UAF historian Terrence Cole about the history and significance of the land-grant college act.

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act on July 2, 1862, establishing the land-grant system of public colleges and universities. The act provided states and territories with land to
support institutions to educate people in agriculture, military tactics and the mechanic arts so that members of the working classes could obtain a “liberal, practical” education.

A Wood Center celebration from noon to 4 p.m. April 21 will offer family activities from Extension and the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, and Chancellor Rogers will speak at 3:30 p.m. Check out the full schedule of activities and sign up for free classes at www.uaf.edu/ces.