Informed Citizens
For our republic to survive and prosper, informed citizens are vital. This fact was acknowledged long ago.
And as time has marched forward, there has been a notable commonality among U.S. presidents that dissemination of information is an essential national service. Education matters. The question has always been; how do we do it?
And as time has marched forward, there has been a notable commonality among U.S. presidents that dissemination of information is an essential national service. Education matters. The question has always been; how do we do it?With the civil war raging, President Lincoln answered in 1862 by signing the Morrill Act establishing the land-grant college system. He said at the time:
“The land-grant university system is being built on behalf of the people, who have invested in these public universities their hopes, their support and their confidence.”
Fifty-two years later, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Smith-Lever Act that established the cooperative extension system for disseminating practical applications of research findings from the land-grant colleges to the people who needed the education.
President after president has acknowledged the success of that dual system including President Ronald Reagan as quoted in A Nation at Risk.
“The American educational system has responded to previous challenges with remarkable success. In the 19th century our land-grant colleges and universities provided the research and training that developed our Nation’s natural resources and the rich agricultural bounty of theInformed Citizens - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice: