On the Front Line of Discovery
The Campaign for Delaware:
Positioning the University
for the Challenges Ahead
The year 1862 was a momentous one for higher education in the United States. After three years of consideration, the Morrill Act was finally signed into law, establishing the land-grant model that was to shape colleges and universities throughout the country.
When land-grant status was conferred on Delaware College (as the University was known in those days) in 1867, an educational institution that had been dormant for several years was suddenly given a new lease on life. By the turn of the century, the College’s Agricultural Experiment Station was in full swing. Scientists at the station established early on the practice of providing useful information to farmers across the state by distributing thousands of bulletins describing their research.
In the early 20th century, student interest in agriculture began to escalate, fast becoming one of the University’s most popular majors. By mid-century, the College had established a strong relationship with the Delmarva Peninsula’s flourishing poultry industry, leading to pioneering work at the College in the area of poultry vaccines and disease prevention.
Today, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources exemplifies the strengths of the land-grant tradition. We have grown into a leading center for research in biotechnology, microbiology, soil chemistry, plant genetics, and the environment. The College is home to 665 students, and our five departments—Animal and Food Sciences, Bioresources Engineering, Entomology and Applied Ecology, Food and Resource Economics, and Plant and Soil Sciences—are a remarkable collection of activity and expertise.