Fulfilling our mission
RIC strives to create a more just, prosperous, and sustainable future across the disciplines at UT, among Tennesseans, and with communities around the world. In this, we are fulfilling the mission of a land-grant institution, which means using scholarship, service, and teaching to overcome the challenges faced by people in the areas we serve.
The Land-Grant Mission
What does it mean to be a land-grant institution?
In 1869, the Tennessee Legislature designated East Tennessee University as the recipient of federal land-grant funds provided by the Morrill Act of 1862. After the Civil War, the legislation was extended to former Confederate states including Tennessee. The Morrill Act helped meet the demands of our industrializing nation by establishing land-grant institutions that provided instruction in agriculture, mechanical arts, and military tactics along with classical curriculums. The Herbert College of Agriculture was also founded in 1869. UT is one of two land-grant institutions in Tennessee. The other is Tennessee State University in Nashville, designated with 18 other historically Black colleges under the Morrill Act of 1890.