The Pennsylvania State University
State College, Centre County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Chartered as an agricultural college in 1855. Located on land donated by James Irvin, the school admitted its first class in 1859 to study the application of science to farming. Designated the state's only land-grant institution in 1863. Penn State was one of the earliest participants in this federally supported system of higher education, which promoted an innovative and diverse curriculum of "liberal and practical education."
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Chartered in 1855 as an agricultural college on land donated by James Irvin, the school welcomed its first students in 1859 to study the science of farming. In 1863 it became Pennsylvania's sole land-grant institution under the new federal Morrill Act, joining one of the earliest experiments in publicly supported higher education. Its founding mission blended "liberal and practical education" for a democratic nation.
Why it matters
Penn State's origins mark the birth of the American land-grant university, a distinctly democratic idea that opened higher learning to farmers and working people and reshaped who college was for.
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Related people
- · James Irvin
Related events
- · Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862
Themes & tags
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