Chronological History of

Influential Higher
Education Policy
Laura Czyzewski
EDLD 8439

1862

Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 (Staley, 2013)

Who? - Introduced by Vermont

Congressman: Justin Smith Morrill
What? 30,000 acres of land given to
each state to sell for endowments to
build/maintain state public institutions

1862

Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862

Immediate Impact

48 colleges formed to
educate in agriculture,
mechanics,
engineering, sciences,
and the classics
Made education
accessible and practical

Long-term effects

Created the
Democratization of
Higher Education
Laid the groundwork for
the creation of 17
Historically Black
Colleges & Universities

1944
Servicemens Readjustment Act or GI Bill
(Hindley, 2014)

Who? Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the

GI Bill on June 22, 1944
What? Gave housing and educational
benefits to veterans returning from
World War II. Included tuition and
monthly stipend.

1944
Servicemens
Readjustment
Act of
or GI
Bill
Morrill
Land
Grant Act
1862
Immediate Impact
Many feared veterans
would not seek work and
lay up on government.
Housing loans were not
immediately approved
because many had no
credit.

Long-term effects

2.5 million veterans

went to college and
purchased a home.
Created a new,
prosperous middle
class in the United
States.

1957

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

(Moss, 2004)
Who? Plaintiffs: Oliver Leon Brown, Darlene Brown,
Lena M. Carper, Sadie Emmanuel, Marguerite Emmerson,
Shirla Fleming, Mrs. Andrew (Zelma) Henderson, Shirley
Hodison, Mrs. Richard (Maude) Lawton, Alma Lewis, Iona
Richardson, Vivian Scales, Lucinda Todd
What? Overturned ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson that
separate but equal public schools for black students v.
white students is unconstitutional under the Equal
Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

1957
BrownLand
v. BoardGrant
of Education
of Topeka
Morrill
Act
of 1862

Immediate Impact
Major victory for the Civil
Rights Movement, making
segregation, apartheid, and
racism in public illegal.
Southern schools refused
to admit African American
students despite ruling/

Long-term effects
Led to 1964 Civil Rights Bill
and the 1965 Voter Rights
Bill which gave African
Americans the right to vote
in the US.
James Meredith, a black
student, is finally admitted
to the Univ. of Mississippi.

1963

Higher Education Facilities Act

(47 Remarks, 1963)

Who? Championed by John F. Kennedy

and signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson
What? Appropriated funds to expand
and maintain educational facilities to
accommodate the rising student
population from baby boomers.

1963
HigherLand
Education
Facilities
Act ofof
1963
Morrill
Grant
Act
1862

Immediate Impact
Construction of 25-30 new
public community colleges
each year after its passing
Increased vocational school
opportunities, medical
schools, library renovations,
graduate schools, and
technical institutes

Long-term effects

Doubled college
enrollment in the
60s.
Afforded 70,000 to
90,000 students to
take out loans to
finance education.

1965

Higher Education Act

(Byrne, 2015)

Who? Signed into law by Lyndon B.

Johnson
What? Appropriated federal funds for
the purpose of providing financial
assistance to those seeking a postsecondary education.

1965
HigherGrant
EducationAct
Act of 1862
Morrill Land

Immediate Impact
Title IV restructured how
federal aid was given to
students, particularly those
with great financial need.
Funds were given to increase
teacher preparation, support
African American schools, and
increase continuing education,
and work-study programs.

Long-term effects

2 million students
received federal aid for
higher education
Began the shift of
giving aid to
institutions to awarding
it directly to students.

1968

Pickering v. Board of Education

(Major, 2014)

Who? Plaintiff Marvin L. Pickering

What? Pickerings employment was
terminated after writing an article to the
local newspaper criticizing the boards
handling of finances citing a violation of
his 1st Amendment right to freedom of
speech.

1968
Board of Education
MorrillPickering
Landv.Grant
Act of 1862

Immediate Impact
Supreme Court ruled the
termination was a violation of
1st Amendment right to
freedom of speech.
Set precedent that no
employee can be terminated
for expressing opinions as a
citizen that have nothing to
do with his /her employment.

Long-term effects
Principle continues in
higher education today.
Established the Pickering
Balancing Tests to balance
a public employees right
Free Speech against the
interests of his/her
employer.

1969
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District
(Sternberg, 2014)

Who? Plaintiffs John Tinker, Christopher

Eckhardt, and Mary Beth Tinker
What? Supreme Court case based on
suspension of plaintiffs wearing arm
bands in protest of the Vietnam War
claiming a violation of 1st Amendment
right to freedom of speech.

1969

Morrill
ActSchool
of 1862
Tinker
v. DesLand
Moines Grant
Independent
District
Immediate Impact
Supreme Court ruled the
suspension was a violation of
1st Amendment right to
freedom of speech.
Set precedent that no
student could be punished
for acts or words not of
substantial disruption to
school activities.

Long-term effects

Guiding case for several

student free speech
cases to follow.
Still cited today when
reviewing cases of free
speech in social media
of students.

1972

Perry v. Sindermann
(Perry, 1999)

Who? Robert Sindermann against the

state college system of the State of Texas
What? Supreme Court case based on the
termination of a non-tenured faculty
member, citing violation of the Due
Process clause of the 14th Amendment.

1972

Morrill Land
Grant
Act of 1862
Perry v.
Sindermann
Immediate Impact
Supreme Court ruled the
suspension was a violation of
the Due Process Clause of
the 14th Amendment.
Set precedent that no faculty
member could be stripped of
property (employment)
without Due Process.

Long-term effects
Continues today that faculty
facing nonrenewal of
appointments have a right
to procedural due process.
Non-tenured faculty must
still show expectancy of
continued employment to
receive procedural due
process.

1972
Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act
(OShea and Cantu, 1998)

Who? President Richard Nixon and

Congress
What? The Higher Education Act of
1965 is reauthorized to include new
policies for the affordability and equal
opportunity of education.

1972

Reauthorization
the Higher
Education
Act
Morrill LandofGrant
Act
of 1862
Immediate Impact
Basic Equal Opportunity
Grant provided funding to
students from lower socioeconomic status
Title IX guarantees equality
for women and men and
protections against sexual
harassment.

Long-term effects
BEOG grant later renamed
Pell Grant; still issued today,
giving many students
increased accessibility to
higher education.
Schools must have equal
opportunities for athletics
and strict anti sexualharassment policies.

2008

Post 9/11 GI Bill

(Scott, 2011)

Who? Introduced by Senator Jim Webb

and signed into law by George W. Bush
What? The Post 9/11 GI Bill grants
educational assistance to individuals
serving in the Armed Forces after Sept.
11th, 2001.

2008

MorrillPost
Land9/11
GrantGI
Act
of 1862
Bill
Immediate Impact
Inadequate staffing,
information systems, and
guidance resulted in many
processing delays
Addition of Yellow Ribbon
program provides
accessibility to out-of-state
and private institutions

Long-term effects

No sunset provision
could cause indefinite
reliance on this funding
in times of no war.
Transferability allows
dependents and spouses
of veterans to share in
benefits.

References
47 Remarks Upon Signing the Higher Education Facilities Act.
December 16, 1963. (2001).American Reference Library Primary Source Documents, 1.
Byrne, J. P. (2015). Higher Education Act.Salem Press Encyclopedia.
Hindley, M. (2014). A new deal for veterans: how the GI bill was
passed.Humanities, (4).
Major, R. (2014). The Battle Between a Public Employee's Right to
Free Speech and a Public Employer's Interest in Protecting Its
Operations Returns to the Supreme Court for Another
Round.Federal Lawyer,61(4), 17-19.
Moss, O. (2004). Brown vs. Board of Education: Celebrating a HalfCentury of Hope.USA Today Magazine,13362-64.

References
O'Shea, Mary Frances, Norma V. Cantu, and Washington, DC.
Office for Civil Rights (ED). 1998.[Regarding the Application of
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 as It Relates to the
Funding of Athletic Scholarships for Men's and Women's
Intercollegiate Athletics Programs.]. n.p.: 1998.ERIC,
EBSCOhost(accessed August 31, 2015).
Perry v. Sindermann. (1999).Supreme Court Cases: The Dynamic
Court (1930-1999), N.PAG.
Scott, G. A., & US Government Accountability, O. (2011).
Veterans' Education Benefits: Enhanced Guidance and
Collaboration Could Improve Administration of the Post-9/11 GI
Bill Program. GAO- 11-356R.US Government Accountability
Office.

References
Staley, D.J. (2013). Democratizing American Higher
Education: The
Legacy of the Morrill Land Grant Act.
Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, 6(4).
Retrieved from
http://origins.osu.edu/article/democratizing-american-hig
hereducation-legacy-morrill-land-grant-act
Sternberg, S. L. (2014). Outside the Schoolhouse Gate:
The Limits of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent
Community School District.Communications
Lawyer,30(4), 21-28.