Penn State University is preparing for its Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2005.

In recognition of this milestone, a reception recognizing the university's contributions to Pennsylvania and it's designation as the commonwealth's land-grant institution is being held in Harrisburg on March 29.

Historically, the designation as Pennsylvania's land-grant institution has shaped the direction of the university's college of agricultural sciences.

Although the country was in the midst of the Civil War, there was a need for educational venues to address scientific, mechanical and practical vocations, such as agriculture, and a need for some sort of federal endowment to subsidize this training.

The Morrill Act of 1862, introduced by U.S. Rep. Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont, granted public land to each state. Proceeds from the sale of these lands were to be invested in a perpetual endowment fund for the support of colleges of agricultural and mechanical arts in each state.

Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln, the Morrill Act opened the door for Penn State's mission of teaching, research and public service.

Chartered in 1855 as the Farmers High School of Pennsylvania, the founders changed the school's name to the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania just two months prior to passage of the Morrill Act.

The move positioned the institution, situated on a 200-acre tract of land in Centre County, to be the state's focal point for land-grant education.

As enrollment slowly grew and the curriculum diversified, the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania saw several name changes: to Pennsylvania State College in 1874 and to The Pennsylvania State University in 1953. While maintaining a strong emphasis on agricultural education, research and outreach, Penn State continued to expand into fields such as science, engineering and the liberal arts.

As Penn State prepares to celebrate its Sesquicentennial, the college of agricultural sciences will also celebrate the tremendous growth that has helped to shape the science that has changed food production in the last 150 years.

The college has honored its historic land-grant mission by furthering education in the agricultural sciences while utilizing the latest technology and research to help the state's citizens.

Today, the college offers courses from the following disciplines: agricultural and biological engineering; agricultural economics and rural sociology; agricultural and extension education; crop and soil sciences; dairy and animal science; entomology; food science; horticulture; plant pathology; poultry science; veterinary science; and forestry, wildlife and fisheries science.

Penn State agricultural research has yielded advances that have helped farmers

throughout the nation

increase production; develop new crops; manage plant pests and animal diseases; control, recycle and compost agricultural wastes; improve land use; reduce reliance on pesticides; protect water quality; and manage wildlife.

As one facet of Penn State's outreach efforts, Cooperative Extension has a presence in all 67 counties. Extension educators respond daily to local needs on such diverse issues as dairy production, West Nile virus and food safety training, to name a few.

In addition to informal adult education, through the efforts of parents, teachers, volunteers and extension staff, Cooperative Extension reaches 267,000 children annually across the state.

Cooperative Extension along with other university outreach units - continuing education, public broadcasting, and world campus - are recognized as offering the largest and most diversified university outreach portfolio in the nation.

According to the survey, titled Pennsylvania's Participation with Penn State, one in every two households in our state has at least one person participating in university programming.