The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) is a research, policy, and advocacy organization of

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

research Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

, land-grant institutions,

state university system A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, territory or federal district. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country. State univers ...

s, and higher education organizations. It has member campuses in all of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

as well as the

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, four

U.S. territories Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions overseen by the federal government of the United States. The various American territories differ from the U.S. states and tribal reservations as they are not sover ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

Membership

The association has more than 250 members including: all land-grant institutions; R1 and R2 public research universities; state university systems; and affiliated organizations. These institutions include 79 U.S.

land-grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

institutions, 19 of which are among the 23

historically black colleges and universities Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. ...

that are APLU members. There are also eight Canadian and five Mexican public research universities.

Membership involvement

APLU members serve on councils and commissions. APLU Councils are composed of university administrators with similar job functions who come together to address critical issues and expand their knowledge base within their professional area of expertise. APLU Commissions cut across job function to enable individuals from multiple disciplines across universities to address critical issues and expand their knowledge base in areas of common interest.

Membership criteria

Membership in APLU is automatically granted to land-grant institutions per the

Morrill Land-Grant Acts The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges in U.S. states using the proceeds from sales of federally-owned land, often obtained from indigenous tribes through treaty, cession, or s ...

of 1862, 1890, and 1994. Public universities classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" or "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" are also eligible for membership.

History

The roots of APLU were established in October 1887 as the American Association of Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, making it

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's oldest

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...

association. The first annual convention was held that year in Washington, D.C. at the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

(USDA), and

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...

president

George W. Atherton George Washington Atherton (June 20, 1837 – July 24, 1906), soldier and educator. He was president of the Pennsylvania State University from 1882 until his death in 1906. Early life He was the son of Hiram Atherton (18121849) and Almira ...

was elected president of the Board of Directors. Through the years, APLU has undergone a number of name changes to reflect its growing public higher education mission. In 1919, the Land-Grant Colleges Engineering Association merged with the association. A few years later in 1926, the organization changed its name to the Association of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities. In 1963, the American Association of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities merged with the National Association of State Universities to form the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC). On March 30, 2009, the association adopted its current name—Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

Organizational structure

Association leadership

In 2022, former Georgia State University President Mark P. Becker became the fourth president of APLU.

Board of directors

The 26-member Board of Directors is the governing body of the association.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control College and university associations and consortia in the United States Organizations established in 1887 1887 establishments in the United States