Early in 1869, Nebraska's legislature convened for the first time in the new capital city of Lincoln. Eager to reap the benefits of the Morrill Act, legislators quickly approved a bill establishing the University of Nebraska. Visionary lawmakers rejected the creation of two universities and determined that the state university and the state agricultural university should "e;be united as one educational institution."e; Thus was born Nebraska's great land grant and comprehensive research university that serves Nebraskans and the world beyond the state. Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, Olympic athletes, and Nobel Prize-winning scientists have launched their careers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as have world-class artists, entertainers, educators, and business leaders.