When Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act in 1862, he set in motion a process that would change the face of higher learning not only in the United States, but in the world. Indeed, the land-grant movement may be said to have been born in Illinois, with the vision of Jonathan Baldwin Turner. The founders of the University of Illinois interpreted the land-grant mission as a call for excellence in all aspects of their work. They knew that some might consider broad excellence too lofty a goal for a public university, and that there would be those who wished to limit the ambition and scope of the education and scholarship undertaken here. Let us answer.
Brains are practical.
Gregory and the other early leaders of this institution did not aspire to excellence for its own sake, or out of a naive idealism. They did so in the firm conviction that this was the best way to fulfill their obligation to the drafters of the Morrill Act and to the people of Illinois. As beneficiaries and stewards of that legacy, we have a responsibility to protect and enhance the exceptional quality of this institution, building upon what has already been attained for the further benefit of present and future generations. Few social institutions have endured as long as the university. Few have proven as adaptable to different environments and changing times.