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From Maine  \nPermalink  \n[https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5sf3515b](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5sf3515b)  \nJournal  \nResearch and Occasional Paper Series, 4(26)  \nAuthor  \nBanerjee, Michael  \nPublication Date  \n2026-06-01  \n[eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library  \nUniversity of California  \nResearch & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.4.2026  \nLAND-GRANT UNIVERSITIES—THE VIEW FROM MAINE  \nJune 2026  \nMICHAEL BANERJEE*  \nCopyright 2026 Michael Banerjee, all rights reserved.  \nABSTRACT  \nLooking beyond the famous Morrill Land-Grant College Act of 1862 reveals that there were many more land grants—over 4 million acres' worth—from public authorities, creating many more land-grant universities than previously thought. Among the original land-grant universities are those calling themselves “private” today, like Harvard, Dartmouth, and Columbia, and public universities that do not identify themselves as land-grant universities, like the Universities of Michigan, North Carolina, and Oregon. Fully grasping the extent of the very long land-grant movement requires that we look east, where the movement began centuries before the Morrill Act. Focusing on Bowdoin College and Colby College, this article shows that these two colleges in Maine received more than 234,000 acres before the Morrill Act, more than the University of Maine received under that Act, making Maine home to not one, but three land-grant universities. The article also points out that universities first exercised the power of eminent domain around the turn of the twentieth century, a development that historians had previously overlooked.  \nIntroduction  \nIn a January 2026 Washington University Law Review Online article, entitled “Land-Grant Universities,” I argued that looking beyond the famous Morrill Land-Grant College Act of 1862 reveals that there were many more land grants—over 4 million acres' worth—from public authorities, creating many more land-grant universities than previously thought. Indeed, by 1862, land-grant universities dotted the American landscape. Among the original land-grant universities are those calling themselves “private” today, like Columbia, Dartmouth, and Harvard, and public universities that do not identify themselves as land-grant universities, like the Universities of Michigan, North Carolina, and Oregon. Other universities received land grants after the 1862, including in the twenty-first century, with Vanderbilt University, a Tennessee corporation, receiving a seven-acre land grant in Florida in 2024. Fully grasping the extent of the very long land-grant movement requires that we look east, where the movement began centuries before the Morrill Act and where it continues unfolding. The article also points out that universities first exercised the power of eminent domain around the turn of the  \n* 2025-26 Gardner Fellow, Center for the Study of Higher Education, UC Berkeley. J. D., Harvard Law School. Ph. D. Candidate in Jurisprudence and Social Policy, UC Berkeley Law. Portions of this article first appeared in Land-Grant Universities, 103 Washington University Law Review Online 129 (2026) . This material appears here by permission of the Washington University Law Review. For excellent edits, I thank Shanshan Jiang-Brittan. All errors are my own.  \ntwentieth century, a development that historians had previously overlooked. Journalists have begun covering these forgotten land grants.1  \nSix months after publication, I reflect on my article with the help of this coverage, focusing on Colby College and Bowdoin College. Together, these two colleges in Maine received more than 234,000 acres before the Morrill Act, more than the University of Maine received under that Act.2 Among other things, these recent news articles show that Maine is home to not one, but three land-grant universities.3  \nMy January article b","cbCaitaCbeAip415","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaitaCbeAip415","pdf",954216,16,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction","[{\"question\":\"What does the paper argue about the Morrill Act and land-grant universities?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that looking beyond the 1862 Morrill Act shows many more land grants and therefore many more land-grant universities than previously thought.\"},{\"question\":\"Which Maine colleges are emphasized, and what acreage is discussed?\",\"answer\":\"The paper focuses on Bowdoin College and Colby College, stating they received more than 234,000 acres before the Morrill Act.\"},{\"question\":\"What earlier development is identified that historians had previously overlooked?\",\"answer\":\"The paper points out that universities first exercised the power of eminent domain around the turn of the twentieth century.\"}]","Land-Grant Universities - The View From Maine | PDF",1792046481]