Pre-order Stephen Gavazzi and Gordon Gee’s New Book Land-Grant Universities for the Future

Land-grant colleges and universities occupy a special place in the landscape of American higher education. Publicly funded agricultural and technical educational institutions were first founded in the mid-nineteenth century with the Morrill Act, which established land grants to support these schools. They include such prominent names as Cornell, Maryland, Michigan State, MIT, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Texas A&M, West Virginia University, Wisconsin, and the University of California—in other words, four dozen of the largest and best public universities in America. Add to this a number of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and tribal colleges—in all, almost 300 institutions. Their mission is a democratic and pragmatic one: to bring science, technology, agriculture, and the arts to the American people.

In their new book, Stephen M. Gavazzi and E. Gordon Gee discuss present challenges to and future opportunities for these institutions. Drawing on interviews with 27 college presidents and chancellors, Gavazzi and Gee explore the strengths and weaknesses of land-grant universities while examining the changing threats they face. Arguing that the land-grant university of the 21st century is responsible to a wide range of constituencies, the authors also pay specific attention to the ways these universities meet the needs of the communities they serve. Among other things, the third chapter of our book focuses significant attention on the critical impact that APLU’s Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation has played in codifying our understanding of university outreach and engagement efforts in the economic realm.

Combining extensive research with Gee’s own decades of leadership experience, Land- Grant Universities for the Future argues that these schools are the engine of higher education in America – and perhaps democracy’s best hope. This book should be of great interest to faculty members and students, as well as parents, legislators, policymakers, and other area stakeholders who have a vested interest in the well-being of America’s original public universities.

The book can be ordered online at the discounted price of $27.96 (normally $34.95) or via phone at (800) 537-5487. The promotional code to receive a discounted book is HTWN.