KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The University of Tennessee will dedicate a plaque commemorating the signing of the Morrill Land Grant College Act of 1862 on the 150th anniversary of the act that established many of America's public colleges and universities.

UT Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek, UT System President Joe DiPietro and UT Agriculture Chancellor Larry Arrington will be at the Ellington Plant Sciences building to dedicate the plaque on Saturday.

The law provided federal funds to establish universities to teach agriculture and the mechanical arts to the public. The University of Tennessee is 1 of 107 land-grant institutions in the country.

The university, then called East Tennessee University, was recovering from the Civil War when it was designated as a land-grant university in 1869, which allowed the university to grow.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.