Uconn needs to make sure to get its T3 rights back from the Big East.
Agree, but I’m not sure how we do that since we really don’t have any significant leverage at this point. Allowing the tier 3 rights to go to the Big East, which was not their policy prior to our joining, was a significant miss in the negotiations.
What's keeping the school from being part of the AAU?
Basically, Connecticut wage law for state entities. Because Yukon is a public entity it has to pay higher wages than a private entity would. That makes it less competitive, if not just uncompetitive, when it is putting together bids for federally funded research.
This should be a no-brainer for the legislature. Exempt programs eligible for research grants from the wage law. UConn instantly becomes a more attractive bidder and would get more federal grants. That benefits UConn athletics because we would be more tractive for conference realignment, particularly to the Big Ten.
But it also conveys significant benefits to the state. First research grants are an influx of cash to the state. Jobs are created, money is spent by workers, it’s a good thing. This was the goal when the state invested in UConn’s science park, but it is hindered by our bids being incomplete due to the mandated higher wages.
In addition to that if Connecticut is viewed as a research nexus we will attract businesses to the state. Certainly our co-ventures in public private research would have inertia toward staying in state, but also these things tend to build. Once you have one or two businesses in an industry it becomes easier to attract others. Potentially, this is a way out of the states economic malaise, however, we need the legislature to not be shortsighted and carve out a research and development exception to the state’s public wage requirements.