Morrill land grant college act

My Love Affair With Land Grant

IN the past weeks I have been doing a lot of reflecting on the role land grant institutions have played in my life and in the life and history of our industry.

First, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Land Grant System at Pennsylvania State University, I was asked by the College of Agriculture to share my reflections on what an education at a land grant institution has meant in my life.

Then I was asked to say a few words at the dedication of the Anderson Family Fountain, which is located in the Rose Garden in the Horticultural Demonstration Gardens at Michigan State University (MSU). My role was to provide a historical view. It seemed appropriate because of my friendship with Bev and Morris Anderson, and also because it is an important time in the history of Michigan State University. In 2005, MSU celebrates its sesquicentennial, 150 years of providing education to the citizens of Michigan.

This is really a love story - or multiple love stories - involving my love for my chosen professional of floriculture, my love for Barbara, my wife of 40 years, and my love for these two great land grant universities - Penn State and Michigan State.

Lincoln's Vision

In many ways I am an example of why land grant universities were conceived in the first place. With his wonderful brevity, President Abraham Lincoln gave life to the Land Grant System, saying "By this Morrill Land Grant Act, a parcel of land will be set aside in each state to found a college (later university) that will teach the sons and daughters of the working class agriculture and the mechanic arts."

I am the child of immigrants, of working class parents. My mother, Marie !Caroline Jensen Carlson, believed that you could accomplish anything as long as you were willing to work for it.

When I was old enough to get a job, it wasn't hard to choose between working in the coal mines of northeastern Pennsylvania or working in floriculture with my brother. A few summers and school vacations learning from him gave me the idea that floriculture could be my career.

I looked into colleges that taught the subject and found that Penn State offered both two- and four-year programs. It was hard to decide which was best, but I went with the four-year program and then for a master's degree and doctorate. As they say, "the rest is history." Without my excellent and relatively inexpensive Perm State education, I would never have had the opportunity to experience my love affair with floriculture, which has spanned almost 40 years of teaching and research. Instead, I probably would have died of Black Lung Disease working in a coal mine.

Lifelong Loves

During my undergraduate days at Penn State, I had the good fortune to meet a lovely young lady who was working as an accountant in "Old Main." So began a love affair that has lasted more than 40 years. Barbara has worked tirelessly to help me develop many of my projects, including Bedding Plants, Inc., the trade association that provided education and advocacy for the floriculture industry for more than 30 years.

Roses have also been one of the loves of my life. My research for my master's and Ph.D. degrees at Penn State University focused on roses. I was the first to predict the yield, in other words how many blooms a rose plant would produce in a year, based on a computer analysis of the plant and the soil. One of the first talks I gave to an audience of the general public outside the classroom was on "How To Grow Roses." I still have the slide set in my collection.

New Horizons

After three degrees from Penn State, my advisor, Dr. Bergman, said, "Enough of Pennsylvania! Go interview for the floriculture position at Michigan State." I did and was hired by Penn State alumnus John Carew. John exemplified the virtues of land grant education. he was a master teacher, a diplomat and a successful coach. Many of his former students and staff members became departmental chairmen at universities across the country. John delighted in talking about any facet of horticulture and he especially loved to visit growers and speak at industry meetings. While my wife Barbara was a force in making Bedding Plants, Inc. a reality, John was the coach who encouraged my dream in conceiving it.

Historically at Michigan State University, we were blessed to have had people come from the East coast, from Harvard University, who were botanists and horticulturists - men like Beal and Garfield, who influenced the development of this institution. MSU is still sometimes called the "Harvard of Horticulture" because of the tradition of excellence they began.

Influencing Lives

Because of my land grant education, my life has been blessed with opportunities. At Michigan State, I worked with 1,500 undergraduates and 40 graduate students who went on to contribute to one of the most economically successful industries in agriculture. Through my association with the Extension Service, I have reached more than 30,000 students from across the United States, Canada and around the world. I owe a great debt of gratitude to Lincoln and justin Morrill that I can never repay.

I truly believe that Lincoln was a visionary person because he understood the need for both art and science. The land grant colleges were dedicated to bringing science into art and art into science. Our profession and industry are really blessed to be both. What could be more beautiful than a greenhouse full of gorgeous blooms, unless perhaps it's a greenhouse that is empty because all of the gorgeous blooms have been sold at a profit!

While the plants create a beautiful picture, growing them successfully is an art, as well. And where would we be without science? Think of all the research that has been done over the years in horticulture departments at land grant universities. We now have computerized plant modeling, thousands of new varieties from which to choose, high tech greenhouses where computers control the environment and the ability to produce plants at a given size that flower when we need them -1 could go on and on.

Whenever I visit beautiful public gardens, like the Horticultural Demonstration Gardens at MSU, I think what a wonderful contribution to expanding the art of horticulture they are. When people visit, the art attracts them and leads them to want to learn more about the science.

The Morrill Act, signed into law by Abraham Lincoln, made it possible for people like me - ordinary folks, the children of immigrants - to come to land grant institutions and get an education.

I am just one of millions of people : who have benefited from an education at a land grant university. just multiply my experience by the millions of other graduates and you can begin to see the impact that the land grant system has had on America and the world.

Michigan State, Penn State and their sister land grant universities must continue to build on their past successes, learn from difficult times and move forward with strategic vision throughout the next 150 years. In the March 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Horticultural Sciences, President Terry Mitchell quoted Paul Valary as saying, "The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be." It is up to the generations of former and current students working together to create new possibilities for the land grant system of the future.

Will Carlson

Senior Editor

will@greenhousegrower.com

About the author: Will Carlson is a consultant and retired Michigan State University professor; will@greenhousegrower.com.