ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief history of the land-grant university in the United States and examines what history can tell people about making universities more relevant to the needs of the public. It explores various definitions of family scholarship and discusses the need for broadening people's conception. The chapter provides concrete illustrations of how family scholars at one land-grant university have begun developing outreach efforts that meet the rigorous scholarly expectations of academia while also being relevant to the needs of the public. It draws implications for how the land-grant university can once again become a place of relevance where scholarship is developed to help meet the needs of the states citizens. The chapter argues that some of the recent criticism directed toward public universities may be justified. It designs a survey reflecting the needs and concerns facing adolescents and their families.
