Montana State University was founded on February 16, 1893, as the Agricultural College of the State of Montana at Bozeman by an act of the State Legislature.  The first term of instruction began on April 17 of that year.

In 1913, the name of the institution was changed to the State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts.  In 1920, that name was changed to Montana State College and remained the same until July 1, 1965, when the new name - Montana State University – became effective.

MSU became a land grant institution authorized by the Morrill Act of 1862.  MSU derives its support from biennial state legislature appropriations, student tuition and fees, federal land-grant income and from private and public grants.

In the midst of the Civil War, the Morrill Act (Land Grant Act) of 1862 was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.   The Land Grant Act introduced a radical idea to American education -- that higher education should be practical and available to the masses. Before land grant universities, college was for a select and scholarly few who mostly went to school to study Latin, logic and other classical topics.

The Land Grant Act promoted the notion that a student might attend college to learn to grow wheat, build a bridge, or even raise a child.

The land grant university is a uniquely American idea, defined by a commitment to the land grant values of access and opportunity, combining practical and liberal education, conducting basic and applied research, and reaching out to extend the university to serve the people of the state.

The Morrill Act quickly caught on and within eight years, 37 states had authorized some type of educational institution.

A second Morrill Act provided direct appropriations to land grant colleges which could show race and color were not admissions criteria.

Today, there are 105 land grant colleges and universities, including land grants in U.S. territories such as Guam and the Virgin Islands and 29 Native American land-grant universities.

Two other pieces of legislation further defined land grant colleges. The Hatch Act of 1887 created the agricultural experiment station program. The act enabled the colleges to conduct agricultural research and uncover scientific knowledge that could be shared with students and farmers. The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 extended the concept of service to the community by creating the federal Cooperative Extension Service.

It is no surprise that land grant colleges quickly embraced their mission to improve American agriculture.  In the late 19th century, half the U.S. population lived on farms and another 10 percent were employed in agriculture. The later success of land grant colleges was due, in part, to experimental farms, which grew out of the experiment stations.

While teaching and research were common to nearly every college at the beginning of the century, the concept of helping the community through research and outreach was unique to land grant colleges. While first land grant colleges focused on agriculture, today's land grant universities are much more broadly based and are likely to sport business, design and education degrees.

Tour Slides can be found in the S-drive through the following pathway: S:\Advocats\Tours\Tour Training (Advocat Training Powerpoint - Fall 2024) 

You can also help yourself prepare by participating in our self-guided walking tour: https://www.montana.edu/admissions/walkingtour/index.html

Or our Virtual Tour: