History of Michigan State University
This Pathfinder provides information on these topics:
MSU History: Overview
In 1855 the Michigan Legislature passed Act 130 which provided for the establishment of the
Agricultural College of the State of Michigan and appropriated ‘‘twenty-two sections of Salt Spring
Lands for its support and maintenance . . . ’’ and $40,000 to carry the college through its first
2 years of operation. The school was formally opened and dedicated on May 13, 1857, at what is
now East Lansing, the site of the present Michigan State University. Michigan State University was
the first agricultural college in the nation, and the prototype for 72 land-grant institutions later
established under the Morrill Act of 1862.
The original tract of land in East Lansing consisted of 677 acres. Additional lands were
purchased and the present campus and farms cover about 5,198 acres of which 2,100 acres are in
existing or planned campus development.
MSU's Name Over the Years
The institution's name was changed from Agricultural College of the State of Michigan to State Agricultural College in 1861; to Michigan Agricultural College in 1909; and, by a 1925 act of the Legislature, to Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science. During the centennial year of the institution, its name was
changed to Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, effective July 1, 1955. The new state constitution approved in April 1963 shortened the name to Michigan State University. [Source: Chapter VII, Michigan Manual (Michigan State Legislature, 1999-2000)]
University Archives and Historical Collections
The official repository for the records of the university is the
University Archives and Historical Collections. Holdings include official documents as well as personal papers of professors and others associated with the university. The majority of the collection is in paper form, but includes film, videotape, photographs, sound recordings and other record formats. Some digitized historical information can be found on the Archives
Web site.
University History Sources at MSU Libraries
Books and other documents about MSU history may be found in the
MSU Libraries.
Materials may be found in Main Library and/or in
various branch libraries.
You may wish to search
the MSU Libraries catalog, Magic, to look for books and other materials. You may wish to search under the Library of Congress subject heading of "Michigan State University -- History" or for keywords such as "michigan state university history".
Books on MSU History
Some books related to MSU history include:
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Michigan State: the First Hundred Years, 1855-1955
by Madison Kuhn
(Michigan State University Press, 1955).
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College to University: the Hannah Years at Michigan State, 1935-1969 by Paul L. Dressel (Michigan State University, University Publications, 1987)
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From an Oak Opening: a Record of the Development of the Campus Park of Michigan State University, 1855-1969 by Harold W. Lautner. (Michigan State University, 1978).
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At the Campus Gate: a History of East Lansing
by Justin L. Kestenbaum (East Lansing Bicentennial Committee, 1976). This book contains a large number of photographs as well as narrative.
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Michigan State College, 1855-1955
edited by Burton Gerber (MSC, 1955).
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Michigan State University: On the Banks of the Red Cedar edited by Larry Bielat (Courage Books, 1998). Chiefly photographs.
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The Michigan State University Experience by Robert Bao (College Days Press, 2001).
MSU's Yearbook - The Red Cedar Log
Yearbooks can be a useful historical research tool. Past MSU yearbooks may be found in personal collections,
in public libraries in Michigan, and in MSU's Libraries and in the University Archives.
Today, MSU's yearbook is known as
The Red Cedar Log.
The yearbook was known as The Wolverine from 1900 until 1974. The first edition of The Wolverine was named after the state animal and published about six months before the University of Michigan chose the state animal as their football mascot.
Other names for the yearbook include:
the Harrow, published in 1887, 1888, and 1889, and the Heliostat, published in 1896.
Spoken Word History
MSU's Vincent Voice Library has in its collection a number of recordings related to MSU history, such as speeches by university presidents, commencement addresses, noted lectures given on campus, etc. See the
Vincent Voice Library Finding Aid.
Speeches given by MSU President Peter McPherson may be found in text and streaming audio formats at
President McPherson's online speech archive.
Historical Photographs
See
Gone But Not Forgotten:
Campus Buildings That No Longer Exist
from
University Archives.
A Brief History of Civil Engineering at MAC/MSC/MSU
A Brief History of the Civil Engineering Department at M.S.U.
(William A. Bradley, March 1986) provides history of the Civil Engineering department in particular and the university in general.
Historical Quotations in Biology
MSU's Microbiology Department offers illustrative
historical quotations by MSU scientists. Learn from comments of MSU personages such as Marshall, Giltner, Snyder, and Kuhn.
History of Botany and Plant Pathology
This
history of research and
instruction in Botany and Plant Pathology
provides information on faculty, facilities, prominent alumni, and events broken into three major periods dating from 1855. (John L. Lockwood, c. 1998)
History of Beal Garden
Beal Garden was established in 1873 by Professor William James Beal is the oldest continuously operated university botanical garden of its kind in the United States.
See
Timeline History of Beal Garden.
Herbarium
MSU's Herbarium (a repository of preserved and labeled plant specimens) was founded in 1863 and headed by MSU professor Dr. W. J. Beal from 1870 until his retirement in 1910. At Beal's retirement the Herbarium housed 100,000 specimens. Today it houses 500,000. See:
http://www.bpp.msu.edu/herbarium/history.htm.
History of Agricultural Economics at MSU
In 1968, after his retirement from MSU, Professor Elton B. Hill compiled
a set of documents chronicling the history of Agricultural Economics at Michigan State University.
The history begins in the 1800s and includes biographical sketches of 180 faculty members,
a history of teaching, and an events timeline.
Special Agricultural "Short Courses," 1900 to 1955
Since its founding, MSU has specialized in agricultural education, specifically "scientific agriculture." Agricultural education at the college and later the university manifested itself primarily in the granting of baccalaureate degrees.
However, dating back to its days as Michigan Agricultural College, MSU has disseminated agricultural and other knowledge in many ways other than degree programs. This
historical note from the MSU's Agriculture Technology program
explains how Agricultural "Short Courses" helped adult and other non-traditional students learn scientific agriculture outside of degree programs.
A Brief History of the College of Human Medicine
See:
a Brief History of the College of Human Medicine.
MSU Presidents - Biographical Sketches
See
biographical sketches of MSU presidents
(MSU Archives and Historical Collections).
WKAR Television - Historical Note
WKAR-TV is the second-oldest educational television station in the nation. See:
WKAR Television History.
The Morrill Act and Land Grant Colleges
On July 2, 1862, the U.S. Congress passed "An Act Donating Public Lands to the several States and Territories which may provide Colleges for the Benefit of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts." Officially known as the Land Grant Act, the law is commonly called the Morrill Act, after its chief sponsor, U.S. Representative Justin Morrill of Vermont. See
text of the original Morrill Act and
text of the Morrill Act as amended.
The Morrill Act grew out of a movement to bring benefits of education to rural areas. See
Events Leading to the Establishment of Land-Grant Universities(University of Florida).
The Morrill Act became law during the Civil War and provided that its benefits would not accrue to states in rebellion.
Michigan State and Penn State, both founded in 1855, actually predate the Morrill Act. They are considered the nation's pioneering land grant schools, having been founded as part of the scientific agriculture movement that led to the land grant program. (On February 12, 1955, the anniversary of MSU's founding, the U.S. Post Office issued a postage stamp commemorating the centennial of MSU and PSU.) Iowa was the first state to accept the Morrill Act, designating what is now Iowa State University as its first land grant school.
The
Hatch Act of 1887
provided for an Agricultural Experiment Station in each state.
The
Smith-Lever Act of 1914 created the Cooperative Extension Service, extending expertise from the nation's agricultural schools to the nation's counties.
A Note to K-12 Students
If your teacher has given you an assignment to research MSU history, please note that there are many rich resources in paper form, and relatively little information that has been digitized. As a result,
you cannot study MSU history solely through online searches. As with most historical research, a complete study requires review of historical documents on paper.
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