CORNELL UNIVERSITY, at Ithaca, N. Y., owes its origin primarily to the Land Grant Act of 1862, °donating public lands to the several States and Territories which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts.° Under this act New York received as its portion 989,920 acres of land. The institution established was named in honor of Ezra Cornell (q.v.), who offered to give $500,000 with which to erect its build ings (the terms of the land grant forbidding the use of its proceeds for that particular pur pose), on condition that it should be located at Ithaca. The university was incorporated in 1865. The number of students (412) who regis tered at the opening was highly satisfactory. The liberality of the charter, which guarded against possible control or undue influence by any religious denomination; the nature of the entrance requirements; the promise of oppor tunities to pursue lines of study not found in other schools then existing; the location, free from the distractions of a large city— these and other features combined to attract students to the new school. Yet, encouraging as was the beginning the university for the next four years had much difficulty in maintaining its existence. The State's land scrip, which was expected to bring not less than $10 an acre, was being sold for only 50 cents an acre, when Ezra Cornell, believing that the land would increase in value, purchased all the scrip, which had not been othenyise disposed of, and bought over 500,000 acres of excellent timber lands in Wisconsin, which before his death he transferred, with full title and control, to the university. But not before 1882 were any of these lands sold for amounts sufficient materially to aid the institu tion; then the sum of $2,320,000 was realized from the sale of 140,000 acres. Later other lands were sold at fair prices, making in all from the land grant lands a net profit of about $6,000,000.
Besides Ezra Cornell's endowment, the uni versity received large gifts from Henry W. Sage, for a women's dormitory, a chapel, a library building and a book endowment fund, a school of philosophy, a museum of archwology, etc., all generously endowed; a donation from
John McGraw for a building devoted to mu seums and scientific laboratories; from Hiram Sibley for a college of mechanical engineering and mechanic arts; from Andrew D. White a priceless historical library; from Dean Sage a fund for supplying the college pulpit, etc. The university is also indebted to A. S. Barnes for a Christian Association building; to Williatn H. Sage for the chapel enlargetnent and organ, the purchase of the great Zarncke library, a stone bridge, and in conjunction with Dean Sage, an endowed infirmary for sick students; to Dean Sage for Stimson Hall; to John D. Rockefeller for Rockefeller Hall of Physics; to Willard Fiske for a library fund of about a half million dollars; to Oliver H. Payne for the Cornell Medical College in New York city, and to others for valuable gifts. The total property valuation of Cornell University in 1915 was $22,786,051.73. The total invested funds were $14,051,115.33; total income for 1915, $3,139,530.38, of which VO2,632.06 represented benefactions. Grounds, buildings, equipment and other property of the university in 1915 were $8,534,157.48. The library comprises 460,000 volumes. In all 16,698 degrees had been granted and there were about 14,500 living graduates.
The broad scope and many-sidedness of the university are based on Ezra Cornell's proposi tion, 6I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any subject?' in which the more specific purpose of the national donors was absorbed and included. Since pro vision was made for women in the early 70's they have formed from 10 to 15 per cent of the student body, though in recent years the number both absolutely and relatively has decreased. The university annually grants free tuition to 600 students of New York State, apportioned by assembly districts; also to New York State students in agriculture, and to New York State students in veterinary medicine.