CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois will host a conference discussing the Morrill Act’s contribution to higher education and the responsibility of public higher education in addressing broader societal issues of the 21st century on Oct. 24 at the Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana.
The conference, “Lincoln and the Morrill Act: The Unfinished Business of Public Universities,” will feature discussions with senior government leaders, presidents of public universities and Lincoln scholars.
“Illinois, one the great land grant institutions in the United States, is the perfect place to hold this conference,” said Richard Herman, the chancellor of the Urbana campus. “Furthermore, I believe that the need for institutions of higher education to respond to the broader issues within society is as critical to the nation’s future success as they were in 1862. This national conference with its breadth of topics is an important step in that effort.”
Scheduled speakers include Sen. Richard Durbin, of Illinois; Jim Leach, the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities; and Sam Pitroda, the chairman of the India Knowledge Commission.
The conference, which is open to the public, will serve as a focal point for campuswide lectures and educational events as part of the university’s ongoing celebration of the Lincoln Bicentennial.
Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on July 2, 1862, the Morrill Act enabled states to make higher education accessible to all through the establishment of land-grant colleges and universities. The new land-grant institutions emphasized agriculture and the mechanical arts, which opened opportunities to thousands of farmers and working people previously excluded from higher education.
Sixty-nine colleges were funded by these land grants, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University and the University of Illinois.
The conference will be preceded by a reception at the Business Instructional Facility at 6 p.m. on Oct. 23. During the reception, participants will have the opportunity to visit the Morrill Act Exhibition at the Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion, 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign.
Registration is required and available online.
The full schedule of events is online.
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