ND, Miami (YTM), ASU invited to join AAU
![<img src="https://s3media.247sports.com/Uploads/Smilies/panic.gif" alt="panic" /> https://news.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-selected-to-join-association-of-american-universities/](http://s3media.247sports.com/Uploads/Smilies/panic.gif" alt="panic" /> https://news.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-selected-to-join-association-of-american-universities/){kind=link}
Try this: https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/aau-higher-education-leaders-react-announcement-new-member-universities
In addition to the George Washington University, five universities joined the Association of American Universities (AAU) on Thursday: Arizona State University; the University of California, Riverside; the University of Miami; the University of Notre Dame; and the University of South Florida.
AAU membership, which is by invite only, now totals 71 institutions and includes 69 American and two Canadian universities.
What is the AAU?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_American_Universities
The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education.
The largest attraction of the AAU for many schools, especially nonmembers, is prestige. Since the AAU's founding, it has "been a grouping of the elite in the American university world," and "[n]ew presidents of nonmember universities often list gaining admission to the AAU as a goal of their administration.
https://news.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-selected-to-join-association-of-american-universities/
The University of Notre Dame has been selected for inclusion in the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of the nation’s leading public and private research universities, Notre Dame’s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., announced today.
Five other universities — Arizona State University; George Washington University; the University of California, Riverside; the University of Miami; and the University of South Florida — also were added to the AAU membership roll today, joining the association’s previous 65 U.S. and Canadian members.
Does this mean that Cal-Riverside and USF will be B1G expansion candidates?
/s because someone out there will think I'm serious.
All UCR needs to do now is start a football team and they’re good to go. (Also /s)
So should staee!
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
-- Rhett Butler
"To Hell with Notre Dame."
-- (Damn, I can't remember who said that. )
How the he'll did Notre Dame get in?!
https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/profiles/site?method=rankingbysource&ds=herd
Here, I'll help you find them.... look at #106 in the rankings.
Fig leaf in attempt to sweeten joining conference?
Same with Miami?
Notre Dame and Miami to B1G?
"To Hell with Notre Dame."
-- God
More likely Touchdown Jesus, who has to stand there and watch every damn game.
The University of South Flerida?
The most important aspect of this, from our corner of the world, is that AAU membership is looked on by the B1G as a prerequisite for admission (this, of course, ignores at least Nebraska). So, given I think that FSU is already in the AAU, I would l say that the plot thickens...
Edit: I just checked the membership list here:
https://www.aau.edu/who-we-are/our-members
and, indeed, Nebraska is the sole B1G member not in the AAU, but to my chagrin, neither is FSU. So, that thins out the plot a little...
FSU is not an AAU member. They are trying hard to get an invite. So is Clemson.
C'mon. FSU is not AAU worthy, people...
So uninformed (or… rather… based upon 20+ years ago biases).
Is this going to be like the hockey thing the other day?
What was the hockey thing the other day? What did I do? Haha…
Edit: Wait. You’re talking about my comment about youth hockey here? What I said is completely correct. So I’m not sure what you’re getting at.
You went on and on about hockey in general--multiple posts. You were close to unhinged about it.
I think you’re confusing me with someone else, combining me with someone else, or we have very different standards for what you’re describing. I looked back at my posting history and I’ve only commented in two hockey-related threads recently (one of which was only one reply). I’m just confused because you said “the other day” and in the hockey in Florida thread I only had five replies, and I don’t think (?) any of them fit what you described. Not at all trying to be argumentative; just trying to understand…
Well, you're doing it again--just took a quick scroll and you're jumping on any post about FSU and demanding respect for it. And Miami, which...yes, fine! They have great academic rep. Like Boston College but with National Championships in football instead of hockey.
Look, I'm just fucking around on the blog while I grade student essays, which I need to get done so I can go out to drink a few beers and shoot some pool. So I give in: Hockey is the next great American sport. And soon it will conquer Central America, Southeast Asia and Equatorial Africa--all the hottest places on Earth are hot for hockey. And FSU...FSU is like an American Oxford or a U.S. Sorbonne except better than both combined. The FSU Circus is better than Cirque du Soleil. And nothing beats Publix!
Hopefully...this is good and will defuse things.
Disagree that Miami has a "great academic rep." It's decent, Rutgers/OSU level.
I didn’t know there was anything to “defuse” but I’ll take the W. Orange juice hasn’t been good to me of late, so I’ll take one any way I can get one!
In all seriousness, though, I can see your point. I’m not going to deny that the FSU shade really does hack me off (as does the errant views about hockey here). With regard to both, perhaps most because I used to be someone who thought the same way, until I learned how truly wrong I was about both after gaining a ton of personal experience. It’s a shame, that’s all. But I definitely see the common thread and I’m thoughtful about your point.
until I learned how truly wrong I was about both after gaining a ton of personal experience.”
What was your experience?
The fighting Clarences!
Publix > Meijers
I believe Nebraska was an AAU member when they agreed to join the B1G, but they were removed the following year (also before officially joining the B1G).
Nebraska lost membership in 2011. This article is a good overview as to why.
TL;DR: 1) med school is in Omaha, not Lincoln; 2) their research is primarily ag focused - not held in as high regard by the AAU.
Also discusses how it was a messy break up. C'est la vie. They probably got to stay because of research relationships with so many other B1G schools that makes sense for all involved.
Purdue doesn't have a med school; it has Indiana's Ag school. IU has the med school. Agricultural research is a huge deal. It seems like a BS reason to keep someone out. ND also has no med school and while it does research, its research dollar figures are not terribly dissimilar from Nebraska.
I agree ag research is a huge deal -- it's what I was alluding to as the reason for them staying in the B1G despite losing AAU membership.
As for the AAU...It's not just getting research dollars but the intended use for those research dollars. Yes, Purdue (and Iowa, and MSU, and Wisconsin, and, and...) do huge ag research, but Purdue also does tons of bio, chem, biomed research, ergo, the areas the AAU considers more significant.
And I didn't say you had to have a med school. In Nebraska's case, the med school is where the majority of the research the AAU cares (or cared) about resides.
My comments, particularly what I construe as a somewhat iffy double standard, were directed towards the AAU, not you.
Yep. And they got screwed in the way the AAU went about it. In the initial vote count for the resolution to expel Nebraska, there weren't enough 'Yes' votes because too many schools didn't submit their votes in time. Non-submissions were supposed to have been recorded as 'No' votes. But the AAU inexplicably extended the deadline to get more votes in. In the end, the resolution passed by two votes.
They couldn't count the research stats from their medical school because it's technically under a separate administrative structure and is based in Omaha. That strikes me as a bullshit technicality. The University of Nebraska isn't like the University of California system or the University of Texas system where there are several autonomous campuses that are only minimally connected to each other. It's not a huge state, and the University of Nebraska is the only public university in the entire state. All four of its campuses are overseen by the same university president.
The way it looked to me is that the AAU decided for whatever reason (probably snobbery) that they didn't want Nebraska, and they found a way to kick them out whether they deserved it or not.
"and they found a way to kick them out whether they deserved it or not."
FWIW, I've read that some Nebraskans blame the University of Texas for helping to engineer the ouster.
Grudges are bigger in Texas.
Cal Riverside to the B!G baby!!!!
You nailed it. But to be clear, Nebraska was an AAU when they joined the Big Ten. They were removed after.
At that time and up to now, the Big Ten presidents have been clear that any member of the conference would need to be an AAU member to be invited.
It's worth noting that Nebraska was an AAU member when they were invited to join the B1G, and *lost* AAU membership soon after.
EDIT: I now see that I'm not the first to mention this. I really should read all the replies to a comment before commenting.
I was under the impression that all you needed to get into ASU was a pulse.
Somewhat.
But, AAU status is about research funding and activity and is not about educational quality.
a quick search of work being done by ASU researches turned up this:
In the gaming world, players will eventually come to a point when their performance takes a downward spiral, known as tilt. Predicting it could one day lead to interventions that prevent it from ever happening.
“We figured out that we can actually predict tilt about 15 to 20 minutes before it occurs,” says Aurel Coza, director of the center. “Obviously for gamers it's super important, but then you can extrapolate that to any high-performance task that involves prolonged attention.”
You need more than a pulse.
You also need to be able to sign your name.
Gon' Give It To Ya!
Would imagine having their Health Futures Center right next door to Mayo Scottsdale, and all the collaborations that can bring was a big benefit.
Did a CME there last year; top notch.
Yep, exactly the same things people (incorrectly) think about FSU, without knowing anything at all about what they are talking about.
I know FSU has improved as a school but I would honestly like to know what FSU (and the other Florida schools involved here) have done that are demonstrably different than other schools that weren't included in the AAU group. For example, ASU has a 6-year graduation rate of 66%; Nebraska is 64%. FSU is 78%, which is basically the same as MSU (77%).
I don't think people believe FSU is some backwards academic institution and I agree making fun of colleges for their academics alone is low-hanging fruit but I also remember U Alabama doing something a couple years ago where they spent a bunch of money to get higher-ranking students to attend the school but their actual graduation rate didn't jump up a ton. I assume at least part of that is due to the fact a lot of those students liked the savings up front but then decided later on to transfer out (something like 19% of students transferred out, which is pretty high).
Again, AAU status is not about graduation rates or other student outcome metrics. It is solely about university-based research. It is essentially a lobbying organization for research universities. Their invitation is basically saying that they get a ton of research money. That's it.
It is essentially a lobbying organization for research universities.
This. And that’s why FSU has had a big hill to climb as a school not originally rooted in scientific research. It’s why UF a in (different history) and FSU is only on its way.
No, I get that. I am more talking about the discussion that FSU is a better school than it's general reputation. It feels a lot like an MSU-tier school and there's nothing wrong with that but I don't see people trying to defend that school's academic honor.
You are discounting the appearance of a certain segment of the student body.