The University of the District of Columbia is a totally urban land-grant University and is part of the National Land-Grant System.  The University is a member of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC).  A land-grant institution is a college or university that has been designated by its state legislature or in our case, Congress, to receive the benefits of the Morrill Act of 1862 and 1890.  UDC was established from the Morrill Act of 1862.  Justin Smith Morrill, a congressman from Vermont, introduced the Land-Grant Act as an effort to assure that education would be made available to people in all social classes.  Abraham Lincoln signed the bill on July 2, 1862. This bill made it possible for new western states to establish colleges for their citizens, providing opportunities to those who may have previously been excluded from the benefits of higher education.