Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon's concept of the world grant ideal is grounded in three core values: quality, inclusiveness, and connectivity. These core values fuel the 21st-century imperative to build sustainable global prosperity. They represent an affirmation of the Morrill Act of 1862 in the context of a global society and as a model of university-community collaboration, applicable not only to research-intensive universities but also to higher education in general as well as to a broad range of societal organizations. In this essay, the authors describe the core features of a world grant ideal, provide examples of how Michigan State University has applied the three core values, and draw attention to critical organizational alignments that must occur in order to support fully engaged higher education institutions. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)