The land-grant mission of service to people in Texas and beyond is important because it provides a practical perspective to all we do. It’s tough to be a land-grant university and live in an ivory tower. We are—and always have been—about providing real solutions to real problems.
—Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates
Our land-grant mission is a constant reminder that we are here to serve the people of Texas—not just our students who depend on us to deliver educational value—but our teaching, research and service must benefit all the citizens of the State. The land-grant idea of broadly providing educational opportunities is especially important when the dual mission of Prairie View A&M University is examined. As we continue to serve the underserved and focus on future excellence, the fulfillment of our land-grant mission positions this university as an investment that will pay dividends for generations to come.
—Prairie View A&M President George C. Wright
Teaching, research and extension are at the heart of our land-grant mission. The synergy of these three components allows us to educate our future leaders, conduct research that is relevant to solving real problems, and reach out to all our citizens in a way that elevates our society.
—Elsa A. Murano, Vice Chancellor for Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Director, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station
The Morrill Act of 1862 that created the land grant system is the most important piece of educational legislation ever passed by Congress. It brought higher education to all the people, not just the elite. As Thomas Jefferson stated, you cannot have a democracy without an educated people. That spirit of service to the people still exists in our land-grant academic system of education.
—G. Kemble Bennett, Vice Chancellor for Engineering and Director, Texas Engineering Experiment Station
The land-grant system has been important to our nation and state because its primary mission is to provide quality higher education to the common people. It is this access and success that transformed higher education in this country and made it the best higher education system in the world. It is this system that became a great creator of knowledge, provided quality education for the masses and became a great economic engine for this country.
—Leo Sayavedra, Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs
The land-grant legacy is especially important to the work of the Office of Research and Federal Relations in the A&M System. An impact of our land-grant mission is that the System has a physical presence in 248 of the 254 counties of Texas. We are serving the needs of citizens across the state, and in all 32 Congressional districts. As a result, when we take ideas, initiatives and programs from the A&M System to the Texas Congressional delegation, we are inevitably well received by all the Members because the System is already playing a key role in improving the quality of life across the state, ranging from the heart of our large metropolitan areas to the vast reaches of rural Texas. This is a major asset in "telling the story" of the important contributions that the System is making to the well being of all Texans and strengthening and building our programs.
—Lee Peddicord, Vice Chancellor for Research & Federal Relations
The land-grant legacy provides a star by which to steer our institutions and we who devote our minds and hearts to their advancement. That legacy was born out of a conviction that knowledge created for the adventure it provides to the discoverer advances the discipline and is good, but knowledge created, transmitted and applied to solve real problems transforms lives and society and thus serves the greater good. This practical, so American innovation still inspires the mission of the institutions of the Texas A&M System and the work of its thousands of faculty and staff.
—Stanton Calvert, Vice Chancellor for Governmental Affairs