Public university vs. land grant university

What exactly is the difference between these two? I am from Connecticut and we have four schools in our "state school" system:

- Western Connecticut State University
- Eastern Connecticut State University
- Central Connecticut State University
- Southern Connecticut State University

Then, we have the University of Connecticut (which is home to the states most famous sports teams =/ ). I have never heard of UConn referred to as a "state school", so my question is what is the difference?

State schools are given monetary grants (in addition to land, oftentimes), whereas "land grant" schools are just what the name implies, schools that are granted land. In PA we have 13 State schools and 2 land-grant, PSU and Temple. Land Grant State University

So the state schools are essentially bank-rolled by the state (minus what they get from students for tuition etc) whereas land grant universities just get a bunch of land from the state, which then tells it to go on its merry way?

a public university is supported by funding from the government (and thus, the public), while private colleges are supported independently (they they may very well receive research funding and tax breaks)

Land Grant universities were established with the help of the Morrill acts in the late 1800's and they are entitled to receive certain benefits for education in things like agriculture (stuff meant for the 'improvement' of a state). Not all land grant universities are public, Cornell and MIT are both land grant universities in their respective states.

and UConn is a state school.

Originally Posted by ArteEtLabore14

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So the state schools are essentially bank-rolled by the state (minus what they get from students for tuition etc) whereas land grant universities just get a bunch of land from the state, which then tells it to go on its merry way?

no, land grant schools just get the added benefit of the land and entitlements from the Morrill act. In exchange, they have to continue to educate on a few topics deemed important for the general livelyhood of the state.

Unless I am mistaken or things have changed, land grant colleges and universities have to offer military training, e.g., ROTC. In my days at UCLA two years of ROTC were compulsory for all able bodied male students who were U.S. citizens and who had not had prior military service.

perhaps, I don't know much about the military link. I know Cornell doesn't require military service but they do have ROTC on campus.

Land-grant universities were created by the Morrill Act, which was 1864 or something like that. They tend to be the oldest and most prestigious public unis, with notable exceptions.

Land-grant universities are public universities.

Originally Posted by Connemara

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Land-grant universities are public universities.

2 exceptons (MIT and Cornell)

Originally Posted by gomestar

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2 exceptons (MIT and Cornell)
Correct, though Cornell does still have colleges that are publicly funded. But it's nonetheless a private school.

Land-grant schools are usually identified by "...State University" in their name. These are generally the "ag" schools.
Moo U and all that sort of stuff.

Iowa State
Oklahoma State
North Dakota State
et al

Originally Posted by gomestar

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and UConn is a state school.

Well from what I've read a 'state school' is a "colloquial term for a state university." Since the University of Connecticut is not a part of the Connecticut State University System (which is comprised of WCSU, ECSU, CCSU, & SCSU) that would mean that it is in fact not a state school.

Originally Posted by Connemara

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Correct, though Cornell does still have colleges that are publicly funded. But it's nonetheless a private school.

Cornell's are only partially funded by the state, they're still privately owned and operated. It gets complex, I had to learn a bunch of this **** when I worked in admissions. NY State seems to have cut their funding quite a bit over the last few years so Cornell has had to boost private funding quite a bit.

Originally Posted by ArteEtLabore14

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Well from what I've read a 'state school' is a "colloquial term for a state university." Since the University of Connecticut is not a part of the Connecticut State University System (which is comprised of WCSU, ECSU, CCSU, & SCSU) that would mean that it is in fact not a state school.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...e_universities

Originally Posted by Connemara

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Land-grant universities were created by the Morrill Act, which was 1864 or something like that. They tend to be the oldest and most prestigious public unis, with notable exceptions. Land-grant universities are public universities.
Um, no. Land grant schools are more likely to be cow colleges; teaching agriculture, engineering, etc. They were created by a young-ish country to help drive the industrial revolution along (and because we had a lot of land to give away). This coincided with the shift towards the German research institution model, and away from merely learning by recitation or in the classical styles. They were more likely to create engineers and industrialists, not attorneys or politicians. And when medicine and pharmacy schools were created, they were more likely to go to the flagship, pre-Morrell Act schools. The most prestigious public universities were those which began in the classic style. The University of Michigan, UNC, UVA, UGA, Tennessee, Alabama, etc. A notable exception is the University of Texas in Austin; which was the second state university in Texas (A&M was first, and the landgrant school) however it became the more prestigious. Berkeley was a Morrell Act school that ceded it's responsibilities under the act to some other UC school so that it could pursue a more liberal arts/law/etc curriculum. And, it's a perennial top 5 public university now.