[Canalejas]

https://www.aau.edu/who-we-are/membership-policy

The Association of American Universities (the “Association”) is an association of leading comprehensive research universities distinguished by the breadth and quality of their programs of (a) academic research and scholarship and (b) graduate education. Membership in the association is by invitation. The Association maintains a standing Membership Committee, which periodically evaluates both non-member universities for possible membership and current members for continued membership, with the goal of ensuring that the Association in fact comprises comparable leading research-intensive universities.

Seems like USNWR is probably at best only loosely correlated with their criteria, which focuses on research prowess.

BC

Nebraska was booted from the AAU in 2011 - "The university lost its Association of American Universities membership in 2011, primarily for two reasons: its medical school is at the Omaha campus, not the flagship Lincoln campus; and it focuses heavily on agriculture research, which is not weighted as heavily in the AAU's eyes."

I think that's the spin that we've heard from Nebraska folks and those sympathetic toward them in the years since their expulsion.

On the first point, what does it mean for a med school to be "theirs?" If the medical school is not part of the Lincoln campus, and doesn't answer to its chancellor, then why should the contributions of the med school count in favor of the Lincoln campus when it comes to rankings or membership in clubs like the AAU? Note that the accomplishments of UCSF don't count toward UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, or any of their other sister campuses.  

And on the second point, wasn't it explained that agriculture research expenditures are discounted not because they are made in the field of agriculture, but because the funds were allocated through a non-competitive and more formula-based process? Given that the AAU is essentially a lobbying group for federal research grants, does it not make sense that it would emphasize being good at winning competitive grants?

[Canalejas]

https://www.aau.edu/who-we-are/membership-policy

The Association of American Universities (the “Association”) is an association of leading comprehensive research universities distinguished by the breadth and quality of their programs of (a) academic research and scholarship and (b) graduate education. Membership in the association is by invitation. The Association maintains a standing Membership Committee, which periodically evaluates both non-member universities for possible membership and current members for continued membership, with the goal of ensuring that the Association in fact comprises comparable leading research-intensive universities.

Seems like USNWR is probably at best only loosely correlated with their criteria, which focuses on research prowess.

BC

Nebraska was booted from the AAU in 2011 - "The university lost its Association of American Universities membership in 2011, primarily for two reasons: its medical school is at the Omaha campus, not the flagship Lincoln campus; and it focuses heavily on agriculture research, which is not weighted as heavily in the AAU's eyes."

I think that's the spin that we've heard from Nebraska folks and those sympathetic toward them in the years since their expulsion.

On the first point, what does it mean for a med school to be "theirs?" If the medical school is not part of the Lincoln campus, and doesn't answer to its chancellor, then why should the contributions of the med school count in favor of the Lincoln campus when it comes to rankings or membership in clubs like the AAU? Note that the accomplishments of UCSF don't count toward UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, or any of their other sister campuses.  

And on the second point, wasn't it explained that agriculture research expenditures are discounted not because they are made in the field of agriculture, but because the funds were allocated through a non-competitive and more formula-based process? Given that the AAU is essentially a lobbying group for federal research grants, does it not make sense that it would emphasize being good at winning competitive grants?