Chapman celebrates NDSU’s link to Lincoln

Written by Drew Espeseth Friday, 20 February 2009 08:00

Abraham Lincoln is probably best known for his leadership during the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation and of course, the Gettysburg Address.

It was a piece of legislation signed by Lincoln, however that changed the future of higher education and ultimately created land grant colleges.

States were given federally controlled land on which a college was to be built.

That college would provide courses in subjects like agriculture and mechanic arts.

This was so that “members of the working class might obtain a practical college education,” according to the Morrill Act of 1862, introduced to Congress by Senator Justin Smith Morrill, namesake of Morrill Hall.

Land grant colleges still exist today and include such institutions as Purdue, Texas A&M, University of Minnesota, South Dakota State University, and of course, NDSU.

So it was fitting, during the North Dakota Legislature’s celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday that NDSU President Joseph Chapman addressed the legislature on behalf of North Dakota’s land grant university.

Chapman’s speech marked the first time a university president has addressed a joint session of the North Dakota legislature in 100 years, and so NDSU students, faculty and staff gathered Thursday, Feb. 12, in Bismarck to be a part of the historic occasion.

“It’s fitting that we remember and pause to reflect on the impact of this legislation,” Chapman said.

Chapman described Lincoln’s groundbreaking view to provide access to higher education, which the former president believed was the key to the future of the country.

“That was a radical view in 1862, when the legislation was signed,” said Chapman, but he acknowledged that “we at NDSU are ever mindful” of Lincoln’s plan.

“NDSU has educated thousands and provided millions in economic development,” said Chapman, proving NDSU has lived up to its history as a land grant college established to serve the working class.

Chapman described NDSU’s current mission as one of preparing its students for success in a global economy.

“That’s our 21st century version of the land grant ideal,” he said.