SLS 15RS-1769 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 141
BY SENATOR GALLOT
CONGRESS. Memorializes the United States Congress to designate Grambling State
University as an 1890 land-grant college.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To memorialize the Congress of the United States to take such actions as are necessary to
3 designate Grambling State University as an 1890 land-grant college.
4 WHEREAS, a land-grant college or university is a postsecondary education
5 institution that has been designated to receive the benefits of the federal Morrill Acts of 1862
6 or 1890; and
7 WHEREAS, there is at least one land-grant institution in every state and territory of
8 the United States, as well as the District of Columbia, and over the years, land-grant status
9 has been associated with several types of federal support; and
10 WHEREAS, two universities in this state, Louisiana State University and
11 Agricultural and Mechanical College (LSU) and Southern University and Agricultural and
12 Mechanical College (SU), are designated as land-grant institutions; LSU received this
13 designation in 1862, and in 1890, what is known as the Second Morrill Act conferred
14 land-grant status to several historically black colleges and universities, commonly referred
15 to as "1890 land-grant institutions", and SU is among this group; and
16 WHEREAS, Grambling State University, located in Grambling, Louisiana, is seeking
17 designation as an 1890 land-grant institution under the banner of the Second Morrill Act; and
18 WHEREAS, Grambling State University was founded in 1901 by the North
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1 Louisiana Colored Agriculture Relief Association; in 1905, it moved to its present location
2 and was renamed the North Louisiana Agricultural and Industrial School; in 1946, it became
3 Grambling College; and in 1949, it earned its first accreditation by the Southern Association
4 of Colleges and Schools; and
5 WHEREAS, in 1974, the school began to offer graduate programs in early childhood
6 and elementary education and acquired the name Grambling State University; over the years,
7 several new academic programs have been incorporated and new facilities added to the
8 384-acre campus; and
9 WHEREAS, Grambling now offers more than eight hundred courses and forty-seven
10 degree programs in five colleges, including an honors college, two professional schools, a
11 graduate school, and a Division of Continuing Education; and
12 WHEREAS, Grambling combines the academic strengths of a major university with
13 the benefits of a small college, and its students grow and learn in a serene and positive
14 environment; and
15 WHEREAS, in addition to being one of the country's top producers of
16 African-American graduates, Grambling is home to the internationally renowned Tiger
17 Marching Band and remains proud of the legacy of the late Eddie Robinson Sr., a truly
18 legendary football coach; and
19 WHEREAS, Grambling places an emphasis on the value and importance of each
20 student, which is exemplified by its motto, "Where Everybody is Somebody"; and
21 WHEREAS, after more than a decade since its founding, Grambling remains an
22 important influence in the quality of lives and communities of generations of North
23 Louisiana residents; and
24 WHEREAS, the designation of Ohio's Central State University as an 1890 land-grant
25 institution in the 2014 Farm Bill set a very recent precedent for the addition of a university
26 to the land-grant system; and
27 WHEREAS, the nation's system of land-grant institutions would be strengthened by
28 the inclusion of Grambling State University; and
29 WHEREAS, as a historically black university with a strong record of academics,
30 research, and service, Grambling, with its rich history and traditions, would bring a unique
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1 perspective to the land-grant system; and
2 WHEREAS, for one hundred twenty-five years, the 1890 land-grant institutions have
3 played a vital role in ensuring access to higher education and opportunity for underserved
4 communities, and as such an institution, Grambling would have access to increased
5 resources that it could direct to serving such communities and to providing research,
6 extension, and public services in North Louisiana, an area where these services are not
7 currently being provided sufficiently; and
8 WHEREAS, such designation would be consistent with Grambling's agricultural
9 origins and its mission and history of service to African-American students and the people
10 of Louisiana and would strengthen Grambling's research and teaching in science,
11 technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs and enhance existing programs
12 and facilitate the development of new programs in agricultural business, biotechnology,
13 economics, environment and natural resources, family and consumer science, and
14 engineering technology; and
15 WHEREAS, Grambling State University has made the same extraordinary
16 contributions to the education of African Americans in the state of Louisiana as other 1890
17 land-grant universities have made in their respective states; and
18 WHEREAS, as the only Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the
19 University of Louisiana System, the role that Grambling plays in the state is critical; and
20 WHEREAS, a land-grant designation would enhance greatly Grambling's service to
21 the people of Louisiana, and it is appropriate that Congress take all necessary measures to
22 grant such designation to Grambling State University.
23 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
24 does hereby memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions as are necessary
25 to designate Grambling State University as a United States Department of Agriculture 1890
26 land-grant institution.
27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution shall be transmitted
28 to the secretary of the United States Senate, the clerk of the United States House of
29 Representatives, and to each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States
30 Congress.
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The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Alan Miller.
DIGEST
SR 141 Original 2015 Regular Session Gallot
Memorializes congress to take such actions as are necessary to designate Grambling State
University as an 1890 land-grant college.
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