Oklahoma State University intends to become the nation's preeminent Land-Grant university
From their founding in the nineteenth century, Land-Grant universities have carried
a distinctly American charge captured in the words of the Morrill Act of 1862:
“to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several
pursuits and professions in life.”
Through teaching, research and Extension, the Land-Grant institutions steward a timeless
responsibility: to raise successive generations of servant-leaders; to engage as
vital members of their communities; to bring research and new knowledge to bear to
prepare students for the world they will enter; and to extend critical knowledge and
expertise to meet society’s most pressing problems — the “Grand Challenges” facing
civilization.
The Land-Grant's three-part mission for the 21st century
Teaching • Research • Extension
Oklahoma State University embraces its tripartite mission — deriving from its distinctive
Land-Grant calling – even as it re-imagines its application for the 21st century and
the Grand Challenges it presents. As it teaches, researches and extends its knowledge
and expertise to communities near and far, OSU recommits to creative excellence in
all three phases of its mission.
Imperative 4: Create graduates who exhibit the four competencies of 1) Professional Preparedness,
2) Engaged Citizenship, 3) Ethical Leadership and 4) Personal Responsibility.
Oklahoma needs its Land-Grant university – today more than ever before. And OSU is
poised to lead. With the benefit of historically strong leadership and the arrival
of new vision on campus, Oklahoma State University will leverage its unique Cowboy
Culture in the cultivation of Ideal Graduates who impact the state, influence the
nation and transform the world, extending expertise and new knowledge to communities
across Oklahoma and reigniting the flame of citizen service. This is what Oklahoma’s
Land-Grant will do. The time for Oklahoma State University is now.
