Students, alumni and other community members were offered free T-shirts featuring a tuxedo design and a rhyme about the act, and volunteers handed out Dairy Store ice cream dubbed “Morrill Mint Madness” in honor of the occasion. The event drew more than 200 people, a number electronic communications specialist Rachael Zylstra said was a “fantastic turnout.”

Although the official anniversary of the act’s signing does not occur until July 2, officials wanted to make sure students had an opportunity to learn about and celebrate an event that had such an impact on MSU, the pioneer land-grant university, said Susan Holloway, MSU’s director of marketing communications.

“MSU is the nation’s pioneer model, the prototype that the land-grant system (was) built on,” Holloway said. “There’s a lot of history there, and we wanted to take part in the celebrations with students and alumni.”

Elementary education senior Kait Gustafson heard about the event on Facebook and made it a point to stop by. After getting her free items and taking pictures with the rock and those who were dressed as Lincoln and Morrill, she said she appreciated the fact that university officials were taking time to commemorate the event that made modern higher education possible.

“I’m a big MSU history geek, so I was excited,” Gustafson said. “It’s definitely an important part of our nation’s history, as far as education is concerned, and it’s really cool it started here.”

Deon Foster, who dressed as Lincoln and told people about the significance of the Morrill Act throughout the event’s duration, said the T-shirt and ice cream incentives provided a prime opportunity for curious students to learn more about their school’s long history.

“There is no better way to learn than to wear it and to taste it,” Foster said.