Michigan Agricultural College: A Dream Fulfilled - Essay Example

Michigan Agricultural College a Dream Fulfilled Established in 1855, the Michigan (MSU) is a government-owned research onthe banks of Red Cedar River in East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America. Under the 1862 Morrill Act, MSU is the first land-grant university and became the model for new land-grant institutions in the country. Moreover, the university is the pioneer in providing education in the fields of hospitality business, telecommunication, packaging, and music therapy (Greene and Greene, 2001). A movement in the 1840s initiated the establishment of an institution of higher education which specializes in scientific agriculture. In 1850, the state constitutional convention called for the foundation of an Agricultural School under the provision of Article 13, Section 11 – the Morrill Act enacted under Abraham Lincoln’s administration. Interestingly, it was first suggested that this Agricultural School would be part of the University of Michigan. In fact, then-president Henry Tappan lobbied for this school to be built in UM’s own Ann Arbor. However, John C. Holmes of the Michigan State Agricultural Society opposed this, on the ground that the school’s students may end up being neglected by UM. Luckily for him, then-Michigan Governor Kingsley S. Bingham saw things his way, mandating a bill commissioning the establishment of what was then called the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan. Eleven years later would be a moment in history for the school – it saw its first batch of graduates, as well as the Michigan Legislature that allowed it to offer four-year curriculum courses and grant degrees on par with more established universities. The beginnings of the Agricultural College were surprisingly humble. Under its first president, Joseph Williams, a member of Harvard’s Phi Beta Kappa in addition to being both an accomplished farmer and attorney, it started out with only three buildings and five professors, as well as a student body of 63. Luckily, Williams made the best of the situation, hiring a host of competent professors in the college’s first year. These professors then proceeded to set up sophisticated science laboratories in its College Hall, complete with equipment such as microscopes which were then thought to be state-of-the-art. Needless to say, Michigan Agricultural College flourished under President Williams’s tenure; even relatively early on in its existence, it boasted a wide array of theoretical and practical academics. The Michigan state legislature passed a bill in 1855, which ordered the establishment of an educational institution centralizing on teaching scientific agriculture. The school only admitted men and held its first class in 1857, which graduated in 1861. However, graduation ceremonies were not held due to the Civil War where the first class enlisted to the Union Army. In 1870, the school began admitting women. From then on, the school started adjusting to women and began supporting facilities for them (Miller, 2002). The school expanded the curriculum and created a “Women Course” which included Home Economics with Liberal Arts and Sciences. 1885, meanwhile, saw Michigan State further expand its curriculum as courses like engineering and other applied sciences became available to students. In 1896, the Abbot Hall male dorm was converted into a proper women’s dorm. And only three years later, Michigan State admitted its first African-American student. The early years of the school were quite tough for its members. There were several disagreements between the College and the Board of Education which had the power of running the College. Varying philosophies and objectives forced MSU’s first president, Joseph R. Williams, to resign in 1859. The Board of Education took advantage of Williams’ resignation to impose a limited two-year curriculum, which was against the will of the faculty members and the founders of the College who wanted a comprehensive four-year curriculum (MSU University Archives and Historical Collections, 2008). A Land-Grant Institution is an educational institution that receives benefits from the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. The objective of the Morrill Act of 1862 was to teach and hone students in the fields of agriculture, military tactics, classical studies, and mechanical arts (National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, 2008). Among the benefits are federal lands handed to schools with the aim of helping educational institutions achieve the goal of the Morrill Acts. Michigan College received 14,000 acres of land. And only a few more decades later, yet another highlight was added to Michigan State’s history. Any of its proud alumni would definitely agree that one of the school’s shining moments was when it was finally inducted to the Big Ten Conference following World War II, allowing it to stand on equal footing with its rival the University of Michigan. Moreover, financial assistance is also given to various schools. The approval of the Morrill Act of 1862 was brought about by the growing demand for agricultural and technical education in the United States. Furthermore, it was an important move for the government to keep up with the industrial revolution. Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania, currently known as Pennsylvania State University, became the second land-grant institution on February, 22, 1855. MSU and PSU are now the national models for the Morrill act of 1862. As of today, there is at least one land-grant college in every state and territory of the United States, which also includes the District of Columbia (National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, 2008). As initiated by the students, the university established the MSU Student Organic Farm. This hands-on approach is centered on teaching the principles of organic farming through an organic farming certificate program (Michigan State University, 2010). Michigan State University has certainly earned a well-respected reputation in USA. Currently, the school is working on plans to go from national, to global. In September 2005, Lou Anna Simon, the current president of MSU, called for the university to become the global model for Land-Grant institutions by 2012. In 2010, the Academic Ranking of World Universities surveyed leading universities around the world where MSU placed 22nd globally, and 18th in the United States (Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2010). In 2008, MSU became the first American school to have established a campus in Dubai, Arab Emirates (MSU Dubai, 2009). The Dubai campus offered undergraduate programs in Business Administration, Media Management and Research, Child and Youth Development, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Construction Project Management. Moreover, MSU Dubai offered a Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations. However, financial issues pushed MSU Dubai to stop all undergraduate programs. Currently, the Dubai campus is being used as a research and Study Abroad center. The university has produced fine graduates who became influential individuals around the world. Among its most notable alumni are: the Michigan governors James Blanchard and John Engler; and U.S. senators Debbie Stabenow, Spencer Abraham and Tim Johnson; former Jordan Prime Minister Adnan Badran; former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick; novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford; and Quicken Loans founder, Cleveland Cavaliers owner, and billionaire Dan Gilbert. Furthermore, the Michigan State University has honed College athletes where a great number entered professional sports where among the best were: National Basketball Association Hall of Fame inductee Earvin “Magic” Johnson; NBA stars Jason Richardson, and Zach Randolph; National Football League superstar Carl Banks; National Hockey League stars Duncan Keith, Rod Brind’Amour, and Donald McSween; Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Robin Roberts, Kirk Gibson, Steve Garvey, and Mark Mulder; Major League Soccer stars Kevin Reiman and Doug Demartin. In addition, several MSU alumni competed in the Olympics where Savatheda Fynes and Frederick Alderman won gold medals. With roughly 460,000 alumni living in different countries around the world (MSU Newsroom, 2010), Michigan State University surely has a great impact in affecting the society and history of many nations. In fact, this impact can readily be seen in East Lansing’s status as a college town. That is, no less than 60.2% of its population is comprised of teens and young adults aged 15-24, which means that they are at least old enough for college. Thanks to university president John A. Hannah (Kierman, 2007), MSU experienced rapid expansion in the 50s, enough to give it the largest residential hall system in America. In fact, over 16,000 students live in the campus itself, whether in the undergraduate or graduate halls, or even in the apartment villages, with each having their own hall government. Still more surprising is that even that number only accounts for around 42% of MSU’s students, as other housing options exist in addition to living on campus. Among other options, students can live off-campus in apartments, frat and sorority houses, and others. Its Greek Community – that is, its fraternity membership – is among the largest of American universities, with approximately 3,000 students, teachers and alumni said to be part of various frats. This trend, born in 1872, experienced a revival in 1922 at the hands of the Lambda Chi Alpha and Alpha Gamma Rho fraternities as well as the Alpha Phi sorority, and is ultimately responsible for the 55 (as of last count) fraternities thriving within MSU. These frats in turn are governed by MSU’s Greek governing councils such as the Interfraternity and the Women’s Panhellenic Councils, each of which have their own budgets in order to sponsor events and gatherings as they please. It should also be noted that a good number of these organizations have sponsored philanthropic activities, outreach programs and other charitable causes at various points in their existence, such as the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Special Olympics. Of course, in addition to fraternities, more mainstream, orthodox student organizations also thrive within MSU’s walls. The most notable of these is the Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU), its undergraduate student government, the services of which cost $16.75 per student (Jourdan, 2008). Said body is especially notable for being bicameral in structure, and for being surprisingly bereft of Greek influence. However, according to some students, the ASMSU is somewhat flawed for not having enough student participation in the elections to make much of a difference, with turnout usually between 8-17% each year. Aside from the student government, others such as the Tower Guard exist. In fact, the Eli Broad College of Business alone is home to at least 27 student organizations. Yet another defining trait of MSU is its activism, most prominent during the Vietnam War and which helped create, among other things, co-ed residential halls (Sturm, 2004). Said activism mostly centers around political change, and yet again showed in the 1980s when students protested that certain companies were reaping financial benefits from the apartheid in South Africa. Political views range from liberal to conservative, represented in groups such as the College Republicans and Democrats, respectively. Other groups, meanwhile, include bodies like the Young Americans for Freedom, Young Americans for Liberty, Young Democratic Socialists, and others. Judging from its staggering number of student organizations, it would seem that MSU encourages its students to become actively involved in their society. And sure enough, to this day, issues like economic justice are what drive students as their university cut funding to programs in the humanities. Conclusion From what has been said, MSU is clearly a good choice for anyone seeking to create a brighter future for himself. Even in its early days, it had already been noted not only for being the first land-grant university, but as stated above, for being especially known for specific courses such as telecommunication and hospitality. All in all, then, it can be said that MSU’s existence is in defiance of the usual stereotypes plaguing government-owned universities – such as of their allegedly poor quality education. Judging from the number of notables MSU has produced, the quality of their education is anything but. References Greene, H. and Greene, M. (2001) The Public Ivies: Americas Flagship Public Universities (New York: HarperCollins, 2001). ISBN 0-06-093459-X Honhart, F. (2008). Milestones of MSU’s Sesquicentennial. Retrieved from https://www.msu.edu/unit/msuarhc/articlepg1.htm Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2010). Academic Ranking of World Universities 2010. Retrieved from http://www.arwu.org/ARWU2010.jsp Jourdan, K. (2008) "ASMSU tax hike to fund new positions". The State News. March 29, 2006. Retrieved March 5, 2008 Kiernan, V. (2007) "Michigan State Asks Students to Turn Off Their Computers Over Winter Break[dead link]". The Chronicle of Higher Education. January 2, 2003. Accessed April 13, 2007. Archived September 30, 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Michigan State University (2008). Organic Farm. Retrieved from http://www.msuorganicfarm.org/home.php/ MSU Facts (2010). Michigan State University Newsroom. Retrieved from http://www.msu.edu/about/thisismsu/facts.html National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (2008). The Land Grant Tradition. Retrieved from http://www.aplu.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=780 Sturm, D. (2004) "Where is McPherson leading Moo U? Critics see comparisons to MSU’s Vietnam-era role". The Lansing City Pulse. 5 May 2004. http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/lansing/archives/040505/040505cover.html. Retrieved 31 October 2009. Read More