The Penn State University Press , also known as The Pennsylvania State University Press , is a non-profit publisher of scholarly books and journals. Established in 1956, it is the independent publishing branch of the Pennsylvania State University and is a division of the Penn State University Library system.
41-648: Penn State University Press publishes books and journals of interest to scholars and general audiences. As a part of a land-grant university with a mandate to serve the citizens of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania , it also specializes in works about Penn State University, Pennsylvania, and the mid-Atlantic region. The areas of scholarship the Press is best known for are art history, medieval studies, Latin American studies, rhetoric and communication, religious studies, and graphic medicine . The press produces about 80 books
82-566: A "Romantic" interpretation of the origins as a product of a working class democratic demand for access to higher education. Recent scholarship has abandoned this approach, showing there was little such demand. Instead middle class reformers were responsible because they thought that modern capitalism needed a better educated working class. Prior to the enactment of the Morrill Act in 1862, individual states established institutions of higher education with grants of land. The first state to do so
123-518: A "land grant" university. Over 17 million acres were granted through the federal land-grant law. Recent scholarship has emphasized that many of these federal public lands had been purchased from Indigenous peoples through treaties and land cessions, often after they were defeated in war. Approximately 25% of the individual land parcels had not been purchased at all; treaties with tribes in California, for example, had been placed under seal by
164-705: A few of the more than 70 institutions that developed from the Morrill Acts retain "College" in their official names; most are universities. The University of the District of Columbia received land-grant status in 1967 and a $ 7.24 million endowment ( USD ) in lieu of a land grant. In a 1972 Special Education Amendment, American Samoa , Guam , Micronesia , Northern Marianas , and the Virgin Islands each received $ 3 million. In 1994, 29 tribal colleges and universities became land-grant institutions under
205-537: A full spectrum of educational and research opportunities. Some land-grant colleges are private, including Cornell University , the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Tuskegee University . The concept of federal support for agricultural and technical educational institutions in every state first rose to national attention through the efforts of Jonathan Baldwin Turner of Illinois in
246-489: A funding system that would allow states to modernize their weak higher educational systems. The Morrill Act of 1862 provided federal land to states to establish colleges. Ownership went to the schools which, in turn, sold the land to businesses and farmers. The law specified the mission of these institutions: to focus on the teaching of practical agriculture, science, military science, and engineering—although "without excluding other scientific and classical studies." This mission
287-503: A historically black university, is the only current land-grant university to have lost land-grant status (when desegregation cost it its state funding in 1957) and subsequently regain it, which happened in 2001. The land-grant college system has been seen as a major contributor in the faster growth rate of the U.S. economy that led to its overtaking the United Kingdom as economic superpower , according to research by faculty from
328-615: A professor at the newly organized Illinois College at Jacksonville . He taught subjects across the whole curriculum but specialized in Belles-lettres , Latin, and Greek. Students of Turner, the Green brothers, brought him in contact with Abraham Lincoln , who was helping with the harvest on the Green Family farm. Lincoln had heard of Turner's teaching and became interested in it. Jonathan Baldwin Turner's views in favor of
369-484: A year and over 60 journals. The Press employs 25 to 30 people, and has several internship programs for Penn State students interested in a publishing career. The first book published by Penn State University Press was Penn State Yankee: The Autobiography of Fred Lewis Pattee , the autobiography of a noted Penn State faculty member who was the first professor of American literature in the United States. In 2016
410-743: Is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890 , or a beneficiary under the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994. There are 106 institutions in all : 57 which fall under the 1862 Act, 19 under the 1890 Act, and 35 under the 1994 Act. With Southerners absent during the Civil War, Republicans in Congress set up
451-559: The Agricultural College of the State of Michigan , receiving an appropriation of 14,000 acres (57 km ) of state-owned land. The Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania (later to become The Pennsylvania State University ) followed as a state agricultural land-grant school on February 22 of that year. Michigan State and Penn State were subsequently designated as the federal land-grant colleges for their states in 1863. In 1955,
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#1732780328203492-590: The Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 . As of 2008, 32 tribal colleges and universities have land-grant status in the U.S. Most of these colleges grant two-year degrees. Six are four-year institutions, and two offer a master's degree. In the early 21st century, a growing number of land-grant universities have placed land acknowledgment statements on their websites in recognition of the fact that their institutions occupy lands that were once traditional territories of Native American peoples. For example,
533-732: The State University of New York . The three-part mission of the land-grant university continues to evolve in the twenty-first century. What originally was described as "teaching, research, and service" was renamed "learning, discovery, and engagement" by the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities. It was later recast as "talent, innovation, and place" by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). Historians once presented
574-599: The Texas A&M University System , the land-grant missions for agricultural research and extension have been relegated to a statewide agency of the university system rather than the main campus. Its agricultural missions, including the agricultural college at the system's flagship campus , are now under the umbrella of Texas A&M AgriLife . Jonathan Baldwin Turner Jonathan Baldwin Turner (December 7, 1805 – January 10, 1899)
615-618: The abolition of slavery were a subject of growing controversy. In 1848, he resigned from his teaching post as chair of Belles-lettres , Greek, and literature at Illinois College. He created the Illinois Industrial League to advocate for a publicly funded system to provide "industrial" education that suited the needs of the working ("industrial") classes. Turner continued to advocate for his model of education. A similar plan Justin Morrill introduced became law as
656-588: The liberal teachings of Christ while criticizing Catholicism , Mormonism , and the Presbyterian administration of Illinois College, where he was a professor. Turner believed Christ's Creed is broad enough to save all of humanity; he wrote three books on Christ and about his views on Mormonism. Jonathan Baldwin Turner died on January 10, 1899, in Jacksonville, Illinois , at the age of 93. Tributes and memorials were made in his memory. A statue of Turner
697-494: The District of Columbia and the "1994 land-grant colleges" for Native Americans were also awarded cash by Congress in lieu of land to achieve "land-grant" status. In imitation of the land-grant colleges' focus on agricultural and mechanical research, Congress later established programs of sea grant colleges (aquatic research, in 1966), space grant colleges (space research, in 1988), and sun grant colleges (sustainable energy research, in 2003). West Virginia State University ,
738-669: The Morrill Land-Grant Act in 1862. Turner was displeased with the political process that located the Illinois Industrial University in Urbana, Illinois . Turner spoke at university's cornerstone-laying event, saying: "Industrial education prepares the way for a millennium of labor", words that were carved in stone and placed above the university's main square. Jonathan Baldwin Turner was an agriculturist; he improved agriculture and established
779-611: The Press launched PSU Press Unlocked, an open-access platform featuring over 70 books and journals. The Press acquired academic publisher Eisenbrauns , which specializes in ancient Near East and biblical studies, in November 2017. Eisenbrauns continues to publish as an imprint of the Press. In 2021, the Press launched the Graphic Mundi graphic novel imprint. Land-grant university A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution )
820-499: The U.S. Postal service issued a commemorative stamp to celebrate the two institutions as "first of the land-grant type institutions to be founded." The mission of the land-grant universities was expanded by the Hatch Act of 1887 , which provided federal funds to states to establish a series of agricultural experiment stations under the direction of each state's land-grant college, as well as pass along new information, especially in
861-552: The U.S. Senate and were unratified at the time of the land grant. Upon passage of the federal land-grant law in 1862, Iowa was the first state legislature to accept its provisions, on September 11, 1862. Iowa designated the State Agricultural College (now Iowa State University ) as the land-grant college on March 29, 1864. The first land-grant institution open under the Act was Kansas State University , which
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#1732780328203902-518: The University of Illinois System states, These lands were the traditional birthright of indigenous peoples who were forcibly removed and who have faced two centuries of struggle for survival and identity in the wake of dispossession. We hereby acknowledge the ground on which we stand so that all who come here know that we recognize our responsibilities to the peoples of that land and that we strive to address that history so that it guides our work in
943-601: The areas of soil minerals and plant growth. The outreach mission was further expanded by the Smith–Lever Act of 1914 to include cooperative extension —the sending of agents into rural areas to help bring the results of agricultural research to the end users. Beyond the original land grants, each land-grant college receives annual federal appropriations for research and extension work on the condition that those funds are matched by state funds. While today's land-grant universities were initially known as land-grant colleges , only
984-540: The barbed wire directly to the tree trunks. The wood from this tree is strong, decay resistant, and long-lasting. Jonathan Baldwin Turner became the editor of a Jacksonville abolitionist newspaper, probably during the 1840s; he also became an assistant with the Underground Railroad and a vocal opponent of slavery. Turner and his wife hid three black slaves for two weeks. His life was frequently threatened due to his abolitionist beliefs. Turner believed
1025-565: The land-grant colleges, and funded the founding of new land-grant colleges for African Americans (now called historically black colleges and universities or HBCU). The 1994 expansion gave land-grant status and benefits to several tribal colleges and universities . Most of the state schools were coeducational—indeed they led the way in that reform. A new department was added: home economics . However, relatively few women attended and they had second-class status. Ultimately, most land-grant schools became large state universities that today offer
1066-474: The late 1830s, Turner selected the Osage orange tree as an ideal plant for this purpose, and patented a machine for preparing the soil and planting the tree's seeds. Turner then advertised and sold Osage orange seeds, which were widely used as hedges before the development of barbed wire between 1867 and 1874. After barbed wire was introduced, farmers still used their Osage orange trees as fence posts, connecting
1107-486: The late 1840s. However the first land-grant bill was introduced in Congress by Representative Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont in 1857. The bill passed in 1859, but was vetoed by President James Buchanan . Morrill resubmitted his bill in 1861, and President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law in 1862. The law gave every state and territory 30,000 acres per member of Congress to be used in establishing
1148-412: The latter types of parcels. For instance, they could identify what portions of their current resources are traceable to Native American lands and reallocate some of those resources to help Native Americans. Land-grant universities are not to be confused with sea grant colleges (a program instituted in 1966), space grant colleges (instituted in 1988), or sun grant colleges (instituted in 2003). In
1189-571: The only way to fight slavery was with writing, speech, and the law. After the passing of the Morrill Land-Grant Act, Jonathan Baldwin Turner opposed the power of corporations, which he described as a conflict between the "natural" and "artificial man". In addition, Turner was a trustee for the mentally ill in Illinois' hospitals. As an ordained minister, Turner was affiliated early on with two Congregational churches but his beliefs became increasingly unorthodox. He wrote religious tracts championing
1230-826: The present and the future. Another example comes from the University of Connecticut which states, We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is the territory of the Eastern Pequot, Golden Hill Paugussett, Lenape, Mashantucket Pequot, Mohegan, Nipmuc and Schaghticoke Peoples who have stewarded this land throughout the generations. We thank them for their strength and resilience in protecting this land, and aspire to uphold our responsibilities according to their example. In an article in High Country News , Robert Lee and Tristan Ahtone criticized such statements for failing to acknowledge
1271-413: The seventy colleges and universities which eventually evolved from the Morrill Acts are several of today's historically black colleges and universities . Though the 1890 Act granted cash instead of land, it granted colleges under that act the same legal standing as the 1862 Act colleges; hence the term "land-grant college" properly applies to both groups. Later on, other colleges such as the University of
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1312-443: The state. The federal Hatch Act of 1887 established an agricultural experiment station at each school to conduct original research related to the needs of improving agriculture, as well as a system to disseminate information to the farmers eager to innovate. By 1917 Congress funded the teaching of agricultural subjects in the new public high schools that were opening. The Second Morrill Act of 1890 further expanded federal funding for
1353-442: The true breadth of the benefits derived by European Americans from formerly Native American land. They pointed out that land grants were used not only for campus sites but also included many other parcels that universities rented or sold to generate funds that formed the basis of their endowments. Lee and Ahtone also pointed out that only a few land-grant universities have undertaken significant efforts at reconciliation with respect to
1394-622: The use of the "hedge apple" or thorny Osage orange tree ( Maclura pomifera ), a variety of which he developed. At this time, there were very few trees on the prairies to set up split rail fences. While working as a professor at Illinois College, Turner began searching for a plant to use as a hedge to divide, cultivate the expanse of the prairie, and contain livestock. He was inspired by hedgerows in England, and procured seeds from Texas with which to experiment on his farm in Butler, Illinois . In
1435-529: Was Georgia, which set aside 40,000 acres for higher education in 1784 and incorporated the University of Georgia in 1785. The College Lands were a tract of land in Ohio that the Congress in 1787 donated for the support of a university. The Ohio state legislature assigned the lands in 1804 to the creation of a new school, Ohio University . Michigan State University was chartered under state law as an agricultural land-grant institution on February 12, 1855, as
1476-494: Was an American classical scholar, an ordained minister, a professor, an agriculturalist, an abolitionist, and a political activist. He also led a political movement to create agriculture colleges, and campaigned to institute land grant universities . He established the use of the thorny "hedge apple" planted to form a barrier in North America. In 1835, Turner married Rhodolphia Kibbe and they had seven children. Turner
1517-460: Was born December 7, 1805, outside Templeton, Massachusetts ; his parents were farmers Asa Turner and Nabby Baldwin. Jonathan was educated in local schools before attending and graduating from then- Yale College , where he studied classical literature at Yale, and excelled in Greek and English composition. Turner was ordained as a minister and graduated in 1833, after which he moved to Illinois to become
1558-778: Was erected at the University of Illinois, and Jonathan Turner Junior High School in Jacksonville was named for him. In 1923, a centuries-old boulder with a bronze plaque was placed in Granville, Illinois , honoring the Granville Convention and Turner. The bronze tablet commemorates the introduction by Turner of the first institutions for scientific industrial higher learning at the Granville convention in 1851. The Jonathan Baldwin Turner Scholarship at
1599-513: Was established on February 16, 1863, and opened on September 2, 1863. A second Morrill Act was passed in 1890, aimed at the former Confederate states . This act required each state to show that race was not an admissions criterion, or else to designate a separate land-grant institution for persons of color. This latter clause had the effect of facilitating segregated education, although it also provided higher educational opportunities for persons of color who otherwise would not have had them. Among
1640-484: Was in contrast to the historic practice of existing colleges which offered a narrow Classical curriculum based heavily on Latin, Greek and mathematics. The Morrill Act quickly stimulated the creation of new state colleges and the expansion of existing institutions to include these new mandates. In every state by 1914, the land-grant colleges gained political support and expanded the definition and scope of university curricula to include advanced research and outreach across
1681-601: Was the author of "A Plan for an Industrial University" for the state of Illinois's Farmer's Convention at Granville in 1851. He had laid out a plan for a national grant to provide an industrial and mechanical college for each US state. A similar plan was later introduced in the Senate by Senator Justin Morrill and became law as the Morrill Land-Grant Act in 1862, establishing many of the United States' public colleges and universities. Jonathan Baldwin Turner