Nebraska Booted from the AAU

[bbeerma2]

This is quite silly. We've had a linear increase in University research funding for some time now. Better than many of our peers. We continue to improve the research standing here while still providing great undergraduate educations. CIC association may also increase our funding. We've got Virology centers, Innovation Campuses, new buildings on campus to house our scientific programs, a now undersized Beadle Center, etc. in recent memory. All while dealing with cuts like many of the state schools on the AAU roster. Sure we're losing Classics. Boohoo. Our University is strong and we continue to produce topnotch research regardless of everything going against us and are attracting a large number of research dollars. Maybe having a Medical School would improve our status, but in the end it's just ridiculousness on the AAU's part which caused us to be in this situation.

 

We obviously are on the bottom end of the list of those universities, so I think we can all understand why it was us. I can't name one university on their lists I would definitively put below us on an Academic scale based on common perception. We are, however, more than capable of upholding the ideals of the AAU and should retain membership.

 

Also, what the hell is with two Canadian members....

[VectorVictor]

This is less about Nebraska being a good university than it is about the AAU saying, "We don't value the kind of research you do."

 

Nebraska isn't Harvard, but it isn't peanuts, either. Nor does this in any way alter what we were when the Big 10 came after us last year. We are, in fact, a better school this year than last. And we'll be better next year than this year.

 

In fact, we're in a better position now than we were ten years ago, and we weren't kicked out then.

 

Ask yourself what changed.

 

Anything from your source on the appeal?

Nothing, and I wouldn't expect anything any time soon. Frankly, I don't know that this can be appealed. If it can, it'll take a while. These guys don't meet often.

 

Kanpplc--a question. If we aren't able to appeal, we are still able to reapply at a later time, correct?

 

---

 

As for these happenings, the takeaway from this IMO is:

 

1) Harvey dropped the ball, as an accounting shift to put the UNMC under UNL would had rendered all this moot

 

2) Texas' influence or possible duplicity in this process, despite any vote in the affirmative, should not be dismissed as they did have one of their own (ilk) head this committee, and

 

3) should we really give two cents about an organization that places no value on agricultural research at all?

 

Frankly, if no AAU membership is forgivable enough for Notre Dame to be extended a potential B1G invite, it should be forgivable for DoNU as well.

[VA Husker Fan]

 

I don't care and I'm sure many of the fans don't.

 

But the Big 10 and the Big 10 commissioner do care. Not enough for us lose membership, but it's not just a "few academics" that care about it, which is why from an academic standpoint this is a bit of an embarrassment for Nebraska.

 

It's overrated, but not to some people.

You've said twice on this page that they care. Where have they said this, or how have they indicated that they care? Maybe I missed it, but I haven't seen any kind of response from the Big 10. And even if they do care, what impact does this have on the University? Are we actually going to get a reduced benefit from the CIC, or another else tangible? I can maybe see that they thought they were getting an AAU school, but my answer to that is that is that you're (Big 10) still getting the same school that you approved for membership.

[knapplc]

Kanpplc--a question. If we aren't able to appeal, we are still able to reapply at a later time, correct?

Yes, we can apply at any time, but the process is very long. Likely we would not become a member again within a decade.

 

I haven't heard yet from my buddy about any appeal. I don't know that there's an appeal, or that one is even possible. It was more of an off-the-cuff statement this person made, and I probably shouldn't have posted it. That was a rash decision.

 

I would operate under the presumption that there will not be an appeal, and that we will not be members of the AAU in the foreseeable future, if ever again.

 

 

1) Harvey dropped the ball, as an accounting shift to put the UNMC under UNL would had rendered all this moot

Not really. It's not clear that adding UNMC would have helped UNL's cause. The geographic separation of the two campuses likely would have meant that the AAU would not have viewed them as part of the same system. Frankly, if the UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA Medical Center, which is part of the University of Nebraska system already, didn't satisfy their criteria, nothing would.

 

The very fact that we didn't absorb UNMC into UNL should be the single greatest indicator that this wouldn't have fixed the problem.

 

 

2) Texas' influence or possible duplicity in this process, despite any vote in the affirmative, should not be dismissed as they did have one of their own (ilk) head this committee

This is something I would not rule out, but proving it would be just about impossible. What I find even more shocking than a possible Texas connection (which I find implausible) is the fact that one of our Big Ten brethren voted against us, knowing full well this would be a huge black eye on the conference. That vote makes zero sense.

 

 

3) should we really give two cents about an organization that places no value on agricultural research at all?

Athletically, no of course not. Academically this is a major blow. "Prestige" is a huge deal in academia. I cannot understate that fact. Those schools who voted Nebraska out clearly felt we were a blight on the AAU, and clearly took little note of our advances both in the recent past and those on the imminent horizon.

 

Again, UNL will be a FAR stronger institution in five years than it is today, and would be without joining the Big Ten/CIC. The AAU says that it looks at a school's trajectory in making determinations like this, yet clearly they did not AT ALL in this instance. We are a far stronger institution today than we were ten years ago when we were up for review and passed. It speaks poorly of the AAU, in my opinion, that they booted us in the situation we're currently in.

 

 

Frankly, if no AAU membership is forgivable enough for Notre Dame to be extended a potential B1G invite, it should be forgivable for DoNU as well.

 

True, and this is a crucial point. However, it's also important to note that we would not have been invited to join the Big 10 last year if this had happened in April, 2010. That one year was instrumental in our membership.

 

It further bears noting that the CIC >>>>> the AAU. Full membership in the CIC, which Nebraska will enjoy as of July 1, 2011, will outweigh any loss we'll feel from losing AAU membership, and will likely be the key factor in our readmission to the AAU at some later date.

 

 

 

 

 

Having said all that, I don't know what our future with the AAU will be. We may never again become a member, and that may be by our choice as much as theirs. In 2010 the AAU adopted criteria that was almost entirely numbers-based, criteria that made it difficult to justify keeping lower-tier members while opening the door for many non-members. Those criteria, obviously, did not favor Nebraska. The AAU made a decision - by committee, which was largely not understood by many member institutions - to base membership on these criteria, something they had never done before. They clearly wish to move from a more accepting group to a more exclusive group, thus increasing their academic prestige.

 

This decision led to the eventual ouster of Nebraska, and the imminent departure of Syracuse University, who will leave voluntarily in the coming months rather than face expulsion.

 

The Chronicle has several great articles on this whole saga, which I highly recommend.

 

Nebraska's Ouster Opens a Painful Debate Within the AAU

 

Facing an Ouster From an Elite Group of Universities, Syracuse U. Says It Will Withdraw

 

This list shows that, as of 2008/2009, UNL received more federal monies than eleven current member institutions, and less than thirteen non-members. That disparity is what led to the new criteria being drawn up, and this situation.

[knapplc]

 

I don't care and I'm sure many of the fans don't.

 

But the Big 10 and the Big 10 commissioner do care. Not enough for us lose membership, but it's not just a "few academics" that care about it, which is why from an academic standpoint this is a bit of an embarrassment for Nebraska.

 

It's overrated, but not to some people.

You've said twice on this page that they care. Where have they said this, or how have they indicated that they care? Maybe I missed it, but I haven't seen any kind of response from the Big 10. And even if they do care, what impact does this have on the University? Are we actually going to get a reduced benefit from the CIC, or another else tangible? I can maybe see that they thought they were getting an AAU school, but my answer to that is that is that you're (Big 10) still getting the same school that you approved for membership.

 

I don't know if any Big Ten official has publicly stated that AAU membership was a factor in Nebraska's invitation, but Harvey made it explicitly clear in this article from June of last year:

 

"All the Big Ten schools are AAU members," Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman said. "I doubt that our application would've been accepted had we not been a member of the organization."

 

However, we're in the clear, at least as of now. The Big Ten released this statement after the AAU's decision:

 

"Nebraska is a substantial academic institution. It was when its application to join the Big Ten Conference was unanimously approved by the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors and it is today. The Big Ten Conference does not have control over other organizations' actions. We're excited for July 1st."

[Enhance]

 

I don't care and I'm sure many of the fans don't.

 

But the Big 10 and the Big 10 commissioner do care. Not enough for us lose membership, but it's not just a "few academics" that care about it, which is why from an academic standpoint this is a bit of an embarrassment for Nebraska.

 

It's overrated, but not to some people.

You've said twice on this page that they care. Where have they said this, or how have they indicated that they care? Maybe I missed it, but I haven't seen any kind of response from the Big 10. And even if they do care, what impact does this have on the University? Are we actually going to get a reduced benefit from the CIC, or another else tangible? I can maybe see that they thought they were getting an AAU school, but my answer to that is that is that you're (Big 10) still getting the same school that you approved for membership.

Here is the proof you requested.

 

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, speaking at last year's spring meetings as expansion was heating up, had this to say about the Big Ten and its AAU ties: "AAU membership is a part of who we are. It’s an important part of who we are."

 

Link

[Caven]

Knappic - do you know which Big 10 member voted against Nebraska?

 

ETA: It also makes no sense that schools like Iowa State and Kansas are still in given UNLs higher rankings that both of those schools.

[knapplc]

I do not.

[VectorVictor]

Knapplc--thanks for the info. I thought Harvey had mentioned there was no appeal in his elongated address that the OWH printed (likely lost on the interwebs, as OWH links live just as long as Sea Monkeys), but I've slept since I read it.

 

With regards to Syracuse voluntarily leaving the AAU, that raises an interesting question that the B1G will need to address should expansion rear it's head again, as Syracuse was a potential expansion target for the conference.

 

---

 

I feel that the narrow emphasis on Federally-sponsored medicine and science research, to the exclusion of agriculture or local/state/private funding, will set the AAU up to fail long-term. Between likely Federal budget dollars being cut and society's needs for the 21st century (agriculture should be at or very near the top of the list), the AAU seems to prioritize how to best milk money for research from D.C., to the detriment of what that research is or how it is conducted.

 

If anything, DoNU fans can take solace in knowing we'll likely be joined by more schools than just Syracuse should this trend continue soon enough.

[blasted_imposter]

 

This is a big deal!!!!

 

It's really not. Name some significant, tangible consequences that will be felt over the next ten years because of UNL's exclusion from the AAU.

 

 

Sooooo when does the football start.....?

[BOJ]

Two quickies: Knapplc i believe that AAU is invitation only so i don't know if you can apply or even appeal, but it sounds like you may have the inside track on this,

 

second, it is possible that the member of the Big Ten that didn't vote for Nebraska was Chicago, I say this b/c the Big Ten has long regarded its academic arm a separate conference, of which Chicago is a part of, and I could see nebraska including them in speaking in regards to the AAU as a member of the Big Ten. I would seriously doubt michigain being the guilty party as has been spoken of earlier and this is coming from a tOSU guy.

 

Trust me if you guys know any graduates from U of Chicago you can probably see this as a possibility... just saying

[ladyhawke]

Two quickies: Knapplc i believe that AAU is invitation only so i don't know if you can apply or even appeal, but it sounds like you may have the inside track on this,

 

second, it is possible that the member of the Big Ten that didn't vote for Nebraska was Chicago, I say this b/c the Big Ten has long regarded its academic arm a separate conference, of which Chicago is a part of, and I could see nebraska including them in speaking in regards to the AAU as a member of the Big Ten. I would seriously doubt michigain being the guilty party as has been spoken of earlier and this is coming from a tOSU guy.

 

Trust me if you guys know any graduates from U of Chicago you can probably see this as a possibility... just saying

 

Do you mean Northwestern? (U of Chicago isn't in the B!G) but Northwestern is. Maybe they are the ones that voted against us-They're still mad because we beat the crap outta them in 2000 (66-17)lol

[Enhance]

Two quickies: Knapplc i believe that AAU is invitation only so i don't know if you can apply or even appeal, but it sounds like you may have the inside track on this,

 

second, it is possible that the member of the Big Ten that didn't vote for Nebraska was Chicago, I say this b/c the Big Ten has long regarded its academic arm a separate conference, of which Chicago is a part of, and I could see nebraska including them in speaking in regards to the AAU as a member of the Big Ten. I would seriously doubt michigain being the guilty party as has been spoken of earlier and this is coming from a tOSU guy.

 

Trust me if you guys know any graduates from U of Chicago you can probably see this as a possibility... just saying

 

Do you mean Northwestern? (U of Chicago isn't in the B!G) but Northwestern is. Maybe they are the ones that voted against us-They're still mad because we beat the crap outta them in 2000 (66-17)lol

The University of Chicago is known as a charter member of the Big 10. Academically, I believe they're part of the Big 10 in some regard.

[knapplc]

Two quickies: Knapplc i believe that AAU is invitation only so i don't know if you can apply or even appeal, but it sounds like you may have the inside track on this,

 

second, it is possible that the member of the Big Ten that didn't vote for Nebraska was Chicago, I say this b/c the Big Ten has long regarded its academic arm a separate conference, of which Chicago is a part of, and I could see nebraska including them in speaking in regards to the AAU as a member of the Big Ten. I would seriously doubt michigain being the guilty party as has been spoken of earlier and this is coming from a tOSU guy.

 

Trust me if you guys know any graduates from U of Chicago you can probably see this as a possibility... just saying

My roommate at UNL got his PhD at U of Chicago. Lived across the street from Washington Park. So yeah, I have an idea what you're talking about. U of C was my first thought when I found out one of the Big Ten voted us out. I get voting your conscience, but this is a little ridiculous.

 

 

I am not overly familiar with AAU membership processes, but I believe it's a multi-pronged courtship. There is probably some "official" method, just like "officially" we applied to join the Big Ten, but the B1G recruited us as much as we approached them. It's one of those fun gray areas.

[ladyhawke]

Two quickies: Knapplc i believe that AAU is invitation only so i don't know if you can apply or even appeal, but it sounds like you may have the inside track on this,

 

second, it is possible that the member of the Big Ten that didn't vote for Nebraska was Chicago, I say this b/c the Big Ten has long regarded its academic arm a separate conference, of which Chicago is a part of, and I could see nebraska including them in speaking in regards to the AAU as a member of the Big Ten. I would seriously doubt michigain being the guilty party as has been spoken of earlier and this is coming from a tOSU guy.

 

Trust me if you guys know any graduates from U of Chicago you can probably see this as a possibility... just saying

 

Do you mean Northwestern? (U of Chicago isn't in the B!G) but Northwestern is. Maybe they are the ones that voted against us-They're still mad because we beat the crap outta them in 2000 (66-17)lol

The University of Chicago is known as a charter member of the Big 10. Academically, I believe they're part of the Big 10 in some regard.

 

Got it. Thanks for the information (I was thinking strictly football)