AAU Status and B1G

[CTpessimist]

Doing a quick Google search for our push to AAU status came up with a bunch of 2014 articles that suggested we were offered status in 2014. Can someone tell me how close we really are to AAU status at this point? If the B1G expands going into the 2016-2017 season is there any chance we could have it by then? How about 2017-2018?

 

[Seaa Blue]

No chance. The AAU elite will take longer than that to form a committee to select the committee.

UConn's best hope there is for the Michigan and Wisconsin presidents to give a big "ata boy" to the progress that UConn has made.

 

[Stinger92860]

No chance. The AAU elite will take longer than that to form a committee to select the committee.

UConn's best hope there is for the Michigan and Wisconsin presidents to give a big "ata boy" to the progress that UConn has made.

Could they help fast track the progress or is that a pipe dream?

 

[dayooper]

Could they help fast track the progress or is that a pipe dream?

Hmmmmmm . . . If they want UConn in the AAU for academic reasons, than maybe. Athletic? Not a chance. They kicked out their new conference member in Nebraska.

 

[Stinger92860]

Hmmmmmm . . . If they want UConn in the AAU for academic reasons, than maybe. Athletic? Not a chance. They kicked out their new conference member in Nebraska.

My question was for AAU only.

 

[huskypantz]

IIRC there were several key metrics and we really need to steal some good professors to move up in the pecking order. Right now we only have 2 professors who are members of the National Academy of Sciences. Even UMass has 6.

 

[ZOOCONN]

IIRC there were several key metrics and we really need to steal some good professors to move up in the pecking order. Right now we only have 2 professors who are members of the National Academy of Sciences. Even UMass has 6.

thisssssss is a problem that should be rectified

 

[LoyalFanCT]

The AAU would be impressed if UConn hired some Nobel prize winners. Beyond that, it would be a great thing for enhancing the academic climate at UConn. To pay for them, UConn will likely need be more aggressive in its fundraising.

 

[geordi]

If we were 'offered AAU status,' why would we not accept it? I can't imagine the University turning it down for any reason.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

We were never offered membership in the AAU. I could be wrong but I doubt that any school has turned down membership in that association. It would be similar to a university declining accreditation.

 

[sportsart]

The AAU would be impressed if UConn hired some Nobel prize winners. Beyond that, it would be a great thing for enhancing the academic climate at UConn. To pay for them, UConn will likely need be more aggressive in its fundraising.

I could be wrong, but I thought the way to getting AAU status was to bring on professors who were getting research money. I thought that is how they measure a university, by how much research money they are getting.

 

[husky8273]

I could be wrong, but I thought the way to getting AAU status was to bring on professors who were getting research money. I thought that is how they measure a university, by how much research money they are getting.

See AAU Membership Principles and Indicators at https://www.aau.edu/about/default.aspx?id=4020

 

[LoyalFanCT]

See AAU Membership Principles and Indicators at https://www.aau.edu/about/default.aspx?id=4020

One idea behind getting prominent professors to colleges -- such as Nobel Prize winners in the sciences -- is they bring their entire lab with them to the new campus and the money tends to follow them. That includes government research dollars and grants from private foundations. The AAU is not only looking at which university is ranked where in research dollars. they also look at the prestige of the place. I believe some of the colleges trying to get into the AAU may have more total research dollars than some current members -- but could be wrong. The AAU more than anything is a relatively small group which represents the interests of U.S. research universities. Moreover, many state universities have Nobel Prize winners on their faculty. For instance, Iowa State has had a few Nobel Prize winners on its faculty. Cal Berkeley has a huge number of them. One unfortunate thing is that the only UConn grad to ever won a Nobel Prize, David Lee, moved his lab from Cornell to Texas A&M. I don't know if UConn was ever trying to recruit him. Because the faculty union wants all professors to get paid as much as possible, many current professors may be hesitant to hire world-famous professors -- at higher salaries. That is why it is better to fund the salaries of Nobel Prize winners through private funds. Also, B10 research-heavy schools like Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota or Illinois would be impressed if UConn had some Nobel Prize winners -- even if UConn had not yet gotten AAU status. The AAU would be impressed, too. Beyond this, having introductory courses or advanced courses taught by a Nobel Prize winner is helpful when trying to attract top students to a college or graduate program. I am sure these are all things that Susan Herbst understands very well. She is a highly respected university leader.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

To get an idea of how far UConn needs to go just on the numbers, the National Science Foundation recently ranked UConn 82nd in the United States on R&D expenditures. Not one of the Ivy League schools, nor MIT, were in the top 10. Cincinatti was 50.

https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/profiles/site?method=rankingBySource&ds=herd

 

[SAMCRO]

To get an idea of how far UConn needs to go just on the numbers, the National Science Foundation recently ranked UConn 82nd in the United States on R&D expenditures. Not one of the Ivy League schools, nor MIT, were in the top 10. Cincinatti was 50.

https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/profiles/site?method=rankingBySource&ds=herd

Using just that metric, UConn is already ahead of several AAU schools. Just to name a few... Indiana, Missouri, Stony Brook, Carnegie Mellon, Oregon...I stopped comparing, so probably more I did not notice.

 

[Dooley]

UConn's Carnegie Classifications, if anyone wants to compare: http://carnegieclassifications.iu.e..._page=standard.php&clq={"basic2005_ids":"15"}

University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut

Level 4-year or above
Control Public
Student Population 26,541

Classification Category

• Basic Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity
• Undergraduate Instructional Program: Balanced arts & sciences/professions, high graduate coexistence
• Graduate Instructional Program: Research Doctoral: Comprehensive programs, with medical/veterinary school
• Enrollment Profile: Majority undergraduate
• Undergraduate Profile: Four-year, full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
• Size and Setting: Four-year, large, highly residential

 

[Slasher]

To get an idea of how far UConn needs to go just on the numbers, the National Science Foundation recently ranked UConn 82nd in the United States on R&D expenditures. Not one of the Ivy League schools, nor MIT, were in the top 10. Cincinatti was 50.

https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/profiles/site?method=rankingBySource&ds=herd

According to a tweet from President Ono (Cincinnati) UAB and Cincinnati are the two most likely candidates for AAU. He is biased of course. This tweet was a while ago, sometime last year I believe, but the AAU moves at a glacial pace.

 

[Huskybite]

According to a tweet from President Ono (Cincinnati) UAB and Cincinnati are the two most likely candidates for AAU. He is biased of course. This tweet was a while ago, sometime last year I believe, but the AAU moves at a glacial pace.

Isn't this the same esteemed president who posts selfies on twitter like some high school cheerleader? The new benchmark for academia

 

[dayooper]

UConn's Carnegie Classifications, if anyone wants to compare: http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=129020&start_page=standard.php&clq={"basic2005_ids":"15"}

University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut

Level 4-year or above
Control Public
Student Population 26,541

Classification Category

• Basic Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity
• Undergraduate Instructional Program: Balanced arts & sciences/professions, high graduate coexistence
• Graduate Instructional Program: Research Doctoral: Comprehensive programs, with medical/veterinary school
• Enrollment Profile: Majority undergraduate
• Undergraduate Profile: Four-year, full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
• Size and Setting: Four-year, large, highly residential

For Reference, here's Michigan's profile from the same site

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Level 4-year or above
Control Public
Student Population 43,625

Classification Category

• Basic Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity
• Undergraduate Instructional Program: Arts & sciences plus professions, high graduate coexistence
• Graduate Instructional Program: Research Doctoral: Comprehensive programs, with medical/veterinary school
• Enrollment Profile: Majority undergraduate
• Undergraduate Profile: Four-year, full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
• Size and Setting: Four-year, large, primarily residential

 

[LoyalFanCT]

I really hope UConn gets into the AAU this year. This is absolutely essential for UConn and the entire state for a lot of reasons. Just highlighting one of them, one of the reasons GE gave for leaving Fairfield and moving its headquarters to Boston were the presence of innovative and research-focused universities there. Yale has some strength here -- but fields like engineering there are not as strong as medicine and life sciences. That really leaves it up to UConn. Susan Herbst is very familiar with this topic and made STEM a priority. But in reality UConn has to move up on the National Science Foundation rankings. Hiring some Nobel prize winners could help, as long as they were paid for with private dollars. In addition, our governor is buddies with President Obama, and we have two Democratic senators. How come that is not translating to higher federal research dollars? One of those senators is a UConn Law alumnus. The other one likes to sue people.

FYI: South Florida is higher than Cincinati-- at No. 41 on the NSF list. Buffalo -- an AAU member -- is 56 on the list.

But as others have suggested a case could be made for UConn to get into the AAU ASAP -- obviously a preference for B10 schools looking to add members.

 

[Pudge]

I really hope UConn gets into the AAU this year. This is absolutely essential for UConn and the entire state for a lot of reasons. Just highlighting one of them, one of the reasons GE gave for leaving Fairfield and moving its headquarters to Boston were the presence of innovative and research-focused universities there. Yale has some strength here -- but fields like engineering there are not as strong as medicine and life sciences. That really leaves it up to UConn. Susan Herbst is very familiar with this topic and made STEM a priority. But in reality UConn has to move up on the National Science Foundation rankings. Hiring some Nobel prize winners could help, as long as they were paid for with private dollars. In addition, our governor is buddies with President Obama, and we have two Democratic senators. How come that is not translating to higher federal research dollars? One of those senators is a UConn Law alumnus. The other one likes to sue people.

FYI: South Florida is higher than Cincinati-- at No. 41 on the NSF list. Buffalo -- an AAU member -- is 56 on the list.

But as others have suggested a case could be made for UConn to get into the AAU ASAP -- obviously a preference for B10 schools looking to add members.

Not true.

Yale Medical Campus has gone from the 13th largest in the world to like ... 5th. In the last decade. You have a significant demand driver there. UConn Health Systems has new relationships that are going to surprise you. I think these efforts are outstanding. The age-old lack of communication between Yale & UConn ... is slightly better these days.

 

[Nostical]

Our governor is buddies with President Obama, and we have two Democratic senators. How come that is not translating to higher federal research dollars?

That's a good question. Our laser like commitment to STEM will likely give us a better argument for research dollars heading our way but our recent frenetic efforts to catch up in the academic sciences and grow our endowment expose an unforgivable lack of vision (and competence) of UConn's former presidents and our prior AD. Pray for Susan and world peace.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Yale is ranked higher than UConn on the NSF list -- but among its peers it is not doing as much as it could in STEM. Yale closed its Sheffield Scientific School many years ago. As I said it is still strong in life sciences and medicine -- but not especially strong in engineering. This is seen by one observer as intentional. It has a huge focus on the liberal arts.

Here is one comment I found online:

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Yale-U...hools-like-Stanford-MIT-Princeton-and-Harvard

Yale has opened a new campus in Orange devoted to science -- hope it will help the state's economy and not just dabble in totally theoretical research which has no commercial applications.

In STEM, UConn has a great opportunity, but also a great challenge.

Glad to hear that the two campuses are working more closely. Do not some of the federal grants require this -- as the money goes to both universities?

Maybe some day UConn as member of the AAU and B10 will surpass Yale on the NSF list.

I don't think we could ask for a better president than Susan Herbst to work in this area. She is an expert. She also recruited someone from Texas A&M who knows a lot about this field, as well.

 

[Pudge]

Yale is ranked higher than UConn on the NSF list -- but among its peers it is not doing as much as it could in STEM. Yale closed its Sheffield Scientific School many years ago. As I said it is still strong in life sciences and medicine -- but not especially strong in engineering. This is seen by one observer as intentional. It has a huge focus on the liberal arts.

Here is one comment I found online:

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Yale-U...hools-like-Stanford-MIT-Princeton-and-Harvard

Yale has opened a new campus in Orange devoted to science -- hope it will help the state's economy and not just dabble in totally theoretical research which has no commercial applications.

In STEM, UConn has a great opportunity, but also a great challenge.

Glad to hear that the two campuses are working more closely. Do not some of the federal grants require this -- as the money goes to both universities?

Maybe some day UConn as member of the AAU and B10 will surpass Yale on the NSF list.

I don't think we could ask for a better president than Susan Herbst to work in this area. She is an expert. She also recruited someone from Texas A&M who knows a lot about this field, as well.

It was your sentence.

Go walk around that complex in New Haven ... and then realize that lots of the property between the current Medical facilities and Union Station are going to be transforming to more YNHH. The 5.5 acre mixed use development on Orange should break ground this year. If you look at Philadelphia or Boston, that has been the driver of awesome growth. ACA? Systems are just going to get far bigger; the net effect is that the structure of the US Health system has changed. It's not about a website that failed.

 

[Ldandy]

Here's PSU. Looks familiar minus the medical school. Ours is located in Hershey, PA. If you haven't been there leave now and go. The entire town smells like chocolate. More to the point of the thread, other than a smaller enrollment UCONN fits the profile. The B1G is 100% where you guys belong. I've always believed that and hope to see it come to fruition.

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
University Park, Pennsylvania

Level 4-year or above
Control Public
Student Population 47,040

Classification Category
Basic Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity
Undergraduate Instructional Program: Professions plus arts & sciences, high graduate coexistence
Graduate Instructional Program: Research Doctoral: Comprehensive programs, no medical/veterinary school
Enrollment Profile: High undergraduate
Undergraduate Profile: Four-year, full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
Size and Setting: Four-year, large, primarily residential