On Friday I read in the Chronicle of Higher Education that the University of Nebraska is being kicked out of the Association of American Universities (AAU). The university has been a member since 1909.
The news coverage of the AAU's decision mentions that Nebraska's departure is in part due to the medical school's presence outside of the flagship campus. Yet, the most recent admit to the AAU, Georgia Tech, does not have a medical school. Neither does SUNY-Stony Brook, which was invited in 2001. In addition, other members including Brandeis, Cal Tech, Iowa State, MIT, Princeton, Purdue and Rutgers, among others, do not.
Being a school to this association is like being a five-star general who gets a sixth star. You've done a tremendous amount of service to the country, more than your peers, so now you get an extra reward. You don't really need the recognition to be respected, but it's very nice to have. According to their Web site:
AAU member universities are on the leading edge of innovation, scholarship, and solutions that contribute to the nation's economy, security, and well-being. The 60 AAU universities in the United States award more than one-half of all U.S. doctoral degrees and 55 percent of those in the sciences and engineering.
That first sentence is a very broad statement of what constitutes an AAU school. It says nothing about the types of innovations member schools must pursue, only that they be of public benefit. However, I'll take the second statement to mean that advances in STEM--science, technology, engineering and mathematical subjects.
What is interesting about Nebraska's situation is that the school has been a member longer than most. In 1900, according to the organization's member page, the original AAU members were the Ivy League schools (excluding Dartmouth, which is still not a member) Johns Hopkins, Stanford, the University of Chicago, the University of California-Berkeley, University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin. The University of Virginia was admitted four years later. During the years 1908 and 1909, five land grant schools that were also flagship schools, the universities of Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska were invited to join, as well as Indiana University.
So, the University of Nebraska, then and still one of the best agricultural universities in the nation was among the first 25 members of this great body--and now they're being asked to leave? It was not like Nebraska has become less of a research university. In fact, the school has attracted more research dollars than eleven member schools, including Princeton and Brown.
What will this mean to an undergraduate student at Nebraska? Probably nothing, unless s/he decides to go to a graduate school in a STEM subject. There may be someone at an AAU school who questions the Nebraska pedigree, even if the student has excellent grades and test scores. But there will always be admissions committees that appreaciate a good student with a commitment to their field.
But it will mean more to current and prospective faculty members as well as candidates for scientific doctorates. Academia, from my exposure to it, is a very small fraternity--and word gets around when a school gets black-balled. Prospective science doctorates are more likely to be directed to AAU member schools and members schools are more likely to hire new faculty who have graduated from member schools. The school's rating determines an academic future.
Nebraska also loses a voice. The AAU is a national voice on scientific research budgets as well as education policy. The more associations that represent your interests, the better your chances for your voice to be heard in Washington.
I don't know what inspires academics to make decisions like this. They compromise the research future of a school, while reducing the size and their membership. The people who kicked Nebraska out deserve a dunce cap for this decision.
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