University of Minnesota

of a board of regents. In its initial years, the university encountered significant challenges and depended on contributions from various donors to remain operational, notably including support from South Carolina Governor William Aiken Jr..
In 1867, the university received land grant status through the Morrill Act of 1862. With lands taken from Dakota people, the university was able to revive itself after closing in 1858. The Dakota people have not been credited for the expropriation of their lands.
An 1876 donation from flour miller John S. Pillsbury is generally credited with saving the school. Since then, Pillsbury has become known as "The Father of the University." Pillsbury Hall is named in his honor.
Academic milestones began with Warren Clark Eustis and Henry Martyn Williamson graduating in 1873 as the university's first graduates. Helen Marr Ely was the first female graduate in 1875. The university progressed by awarding its first master's degree in 1880 and conferring its first Ph.D. in 1888.
As the …