 Under the Morrill Act , states were obligated to fund the maintenance of land grant college facilities , but were not obligated to fund operations . Subsequent laws required states to match federal funds for agricultural research stations and cooperative extension . In his inaugural address as Cornell 's third president on November 11 , 1892 , Jacob Gould Schurman announced his intention to enlist the financial support of the state . Until that point , Cornell 's relationship with the state was a net economic loss . Cornell was offering full scholarships to four students in each New York assembly district every year and was spending funds to serve as the state 's land @-@ grant university . It determined to convince the state to become a benefactor of the university , instead . In 1894 , the state legislature voted to give financial support for the establishment of the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine and to make annual appropriations for the college . This set the precedents of privately controlled , state @-@ supported statutory colleges and cooperation between Cornell and the state . The annual state appropriations were later extended to agriculture , home economics , and following World War II , industrial and labor relations . 
