Alcorn Commemorates the 125th Anniversary of 1890 Land-Grant Institutions
Alcorn State University will be commemorating the 125th anniversary of the signage of the second Morrill Act by holding several events throughout the year and raising funds for scholarships to support deserving students. This event is an important point in African-American history that helped establish, support, and empower most of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the nation.
Alcorn State University was founded in 1871 and is the oldest public historically black land-grant institution in the United States and the second oldest state supported institution of higher learning in Mississippi.
“This is an event that Alcorn, along with other 1890 land-grant universities, will always treasure as a part of history. It marks a time when African-Americans were given the opportunity to build their minds as well as their wealth,” said Anthony Reed, interim associate extension administrator and co-chair of the 1890 initiative at Alcorn.
All of the 1890 land-grant institutions have three important aspects. They share the distinction of having teaching, research and extension programs of the highest quality in food, agricultural and related sciences. They integrate expert research with community based extension initiatives. Finally, they are proud United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) partners.
For more information on Alcorn’s commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the signage of the second Morrill Act, please visit www.alcorn.edu/125thAnniversary.
