AAU President Speaks RE: Connecticut

[upstater]

I'm grasping at straws here but from what I can find online the AAU only votes on new members at their annual meetings. Last year they voted in BU and it became official on 11/5/12. This means their annual meeting was most likely the last week of October or 1st week of November. I haven't seen anything on when their meeting is this year but I would imagine it would be around the same time. I'm not expecting Uconn to be invited this year but I just wanted to throw this out there....

Given the sequester and the shutdown, it would be an absolute shock if anyone else were invited into the AAU in the next several years. These schools have to figure out what is going on among themselves. Research budgets have dropped drastically. They can't cull anyone anymore because things have been shaken up so badly. The AAU right now is confused--and that's putting it mildly. There is also new leadership. The B1G has relinquished control of the two most powerful committees.

 

[bobbyinaz]

I met a guy about a month ago at a wedding who said he worked for a lobby firm in Washington that did a lot of work for healthcare companies. We struck up a conversation & I said that I hoped UCONN could become a member of the AAU to share in some of the research $$ available to universities (no, I didn't say because we want to get into the B1G).

He very quickly replied that he didn't think the AAU would be adding any schools & said that he thought they may actually contract by a few due to the drop in research $$. He said while a decent amount of research $$ come from the private sector, the lion's share comes from the govt and with the mess we have in Washington this amount will continue to shrink over time

 

[upstater]

I met a guy about a month ago at a wedding who said he worked for a lobby firm in Washington that did a lot of work for healthcare companies. We struck up a conversation & I said that I hoped UCONN could become a member of the AAU to share in some of the research available to universities (no, I didn't say because we want to get into the B1G).

He very quickly replied that he didn't think the AAU would be adding any schools & said that he thought they may actually contract by a few due to the drop in research . He said while a decent amount of research come from the private sector, the lion's share comes from the govt and with the mess we have in Washington this amount will continue to shrink over time

Of course, I saw an internal memo from the AAU that said no additions, only schools to be given the heave-ho. Everyone in the bottom 10 was worried. Nebraska and Syracuse exited. And a year later, while research dollars were down, Boston U. was added. My alma mater. That was a surprise.

The AAU may add a school simply to show what needs to be done.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I can tell you now, UConn is making major strides in research areas that are receiving a lot of attention not just nationally, but internationally. Having a strong presence in animal research is paying huge dividends, particularly in pathogen research.

If nothing else, we can be proud at least for the huge strides we've made academically.