The West Virginia University Division for Land-Grant Engagement supports the teaching,
research and service missions of the Center for Community Engagement, Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, WVU Extension. The Division brings together
units which have historically defined WVU’s land-grant partnership with the federal
government, including USDA-NIFA and other agencies.
This Division celebrates WVU’s history as marked by four federal acts: The Morrill,
Hatch, Smith-Lever and McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research acts.
- Morrill Act of 1862 created WVU, an institution that would serve as a place of learning for the people with its first college being agriculture.
- The Hatch Act of 1887 created the research mission of the University to advance agricultural and related sciences at state agricultural experiment stations in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. insular areas.
- The Smith-Lever Act established in 1914 created Cooperative Extension entities in all 50 states, including West Virginia. The goal is to extend the knowledge from these institutions to citizens in every county. All 1862 land-grant universities benefit from these three federal acts. West Virginia has two Cooperative Extension programs, WVU Extension and West Virginia State University Extension.
- The McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Act created in1962 requires all eligible institutions to conduct research supported with McIntire-Stennis funds and with matching funds to address reforestation and land management; forest and watershed management; forest and rangeland management; management of forest lands for outdoor recreation; protections of forest and resources against fire, insects, disease, etc.; use of wood and other forest-related products; development of land management policies; and studies promoting the fullest and most effective use of forest resources.
In addition to the federal acts noted above, our work also is supported through other state, county, federal and fundraising, including AmeriCorps, the West Virginia Legislature, county commissions/boards of education, non-profits, grants and private donations.
Our faculty and staff are dedicated to carrying out the land-grant mission to provide knowledge and research to improve the lives and livelihoods of our students, alumni, community partners, and the state of West Virginia.