Senate Resolution 32 - Introduced
PAG LIN
S.R. ________ H.R. ________
1 1 SENATE RESOLUTION NO.
1 2 BY QUIRMBACH
1 3 A Resolution recognizing the federal Morrill
1 4 Act and celebrating the renovation of Morrill
1 5 Hall at Iowa State University.
1 6 WHEREAS, the federal Morrill Act, sponsored by
1 7 United States Senator Justin Morrill of Vermont and
1 8 signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, was the
1 9 most important federal legislative act for higher
1 10 education of the 19th century, giving states like Iowa
1 11 the means to provide affordable higher education
1 12 opportunities to every citizen; and
1 13 WHEREAS, Senator Morrill stated that "[t]he
1 14 land=grant colleges were founded on the idea that a
1 15 higher and broader education should be placed in every
1 16 State within the reach of those whose destiny assigns
1 17 them to, or who may have the courage to choose ...
1 18 locations where the wealth of nations is produced,
1 19 where advanced civilization unfolds its comforts, and
1 20 where a much larger number of the people need wider
1 21 educational advantages, and impatiently await their
1 22 possession"; and
1 23 WHEREAS, in 1862, the great State of Iowa became
1 24 the first state to accept the terms of the Morrill
1 25 Act; and
1 26 WHEREAS, the Iowa State College of Agriculture and
1 27 Mechanic Arts founded in 1858 and now the Iowa State
1 28 University of Science and Technology became, in 1864,
1 29 the first institution in the United States designated
1 30 as a land=grant institution; and
2 1 WHEREAS, 215 institutions are now members of the
2 2 National Association of State Universities and
2 3 Land=Grant Colleges, educating nearly 3 million
2 4 students located in all 50 states; and
2 5 WHEREAS, Morrill Hall at Iowa State University,
2 6 since its construction in 1891, has stood as a proud
2 7 symbol honoring Senator Morrill and honoring Iowa's
2 8 commitment to public higher education; and
2 9 WHEREAS, more than 2,700 private donors contributed
2 10 more than $7.4 million and Iowa's taxpayers
2 11 contributed almost $2.8 million of the $10.2 million
2 12 cost to renovate Morrill Hall; and
2 13 WHEREAS, Morrill Hall, after a two=year renovation,
2 14 will now continue its service in fulfilling Iowa State
2 15 University's land=grant mission of teaching, research,
2 16 and outreach by housing the Center for Excellence in
2 17 Learning and Teaching, the Center for Textiles and
2 18 Clothing, three modern classrooms, and the
2 19 world=renowned Christian Petersen Art Collection; and
2 20 WHEREAS, the rededication of Morrill Hall begins a
2 21 yearlong celebration of Iowa State University's
2 22 sesquicentennial; NOW THEREFORE,
2 23 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate
2 24 recognizes and honors the achievements of the federal
2 25 Morrill Act in making higher education available to
2 26 millions of Americans over the past century and a
2 27 half; and
2 28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate applauds
2 29 the completion of the renovation of Morrill Hall as an
2 30 important symbol of the commitment of the State of
3 1 Iowa to the ideals of the land=grant colleges and
3 2 universities; and
3 3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate thanks the
3 4 taxpayers of Iowa and the more than 2,700 private
3 5 donors who have given of their own resources to
3 6 renovate Morrill Hall and return it to the people of
3 7 Iowa as an important education facility.
3 8 LSB 2877SS 82
3 9 jr:rj/je/5.3