Is it football or academics for ACC or B1G access?

[frankthetank]

Apparently size does matter.
I agree though, it has no bearing on UCONN's chances in the AAU today.
USF and UCF are important based on the sheer number of students those universities educate. That's one of the main points of the article.
"This New AAU should retain its traditional focus on research, which remains vital to the national interest. But it should take a very different approach to undergraduate education, rewarding institutions that are committed to keeping college accessible, affordable and focused on student success, instead of actively working against those critical goals."

Note that the article is by an organization that is NOT the AAU and, in fact, is highly critical of its elitism. This is an organization that is reflecting how it *wants* the AAU to change in how it evaluates new potential members. However, the AAU has shown to be essentially the opposite (as evidenced by its removal of Nebraska, which then led to the preemptive resignation of Syracuse) - it's becoming more elitist than ever.

So, the sheer size of the school is irrelevant with respect to UConn's AAU prospects. However, the larger issue for UConn is that there are a number of schools that are stronger in areas that the AAU loves (i.e. high profile medical and STEM research), such as Miami, that still aren't members and would be perceived to be higher on the pecking order. With the AAU is growing at a truly glacial pace (only 4 schools added in this millennium with 3 schools removed, for a net change of only 1 additional member in the past 15 years), that's a VERY large barrier. UConn can continue to improve academically, but the AAU is completely about graduate research prestige (as opposed to undergrad rankings, where UConn has been making most of its strides) and UConn has several schools in front of them that they would need to leapfrog. I don't think a lot of people are quite understanding just how closed and elitist the AAU is right now - they make the power conferences look like open-invite meritocracies by comparison. UConn's power conference invite prospects essentially have to assume that an AAU invite isn't coming (as further power conference realignment is much more likely than the AAU expanding its ranks dramatically, if at all).

 

[pj]

Apparently size does matter.
I agree though, it has no bearing on UCONN's chances in the AAU today.
USF and UCF are important based on the sheer number of students those universities educate. That's one of the main points of the article.
"This New AAU should retain its traditional focus on research, which remains vital to the national interest. But it should take a very different approach to undergraduate education, rewarding institutions that are committed to keeping college accessible, affordable and focused on student success, instead of actively working against those critical goals."

No way is the AAU going to start weighting a large undergraduate population as a positive feature. That would be a total reversal of their purpose and mission. UCF's 60,000 part-time undergraduate commuters are not going to get them into the AAU.

 

[B1GOSU]

What will happen to the historic Civil Conflict Trophy between UConn and UCF if UConn leaves its historical trophy partner behind in the AAC?!?!?!? lol

 

[CL82]

Exactly. People think there's this list of benchmarks that passing will automatically get us into the AAU. It's a voting process, and it's exclusive hence the relative rarity of new schools being added. The same schools we will need to vote us into the AAU are generally the same schools making a conscious effort to keep us out of a P5 conference. Good luck with all that.

Unless, of course, Delaney determines we improve the B1Gs bottom line, then were are in comfortably.

 

[CL82]

What will happen to the historic Civil Conflict Trophy between UConn and UCF if UConn leaves its historical trophy partner behind in the AAC?!?!?!? lol

OOC game obviously. There is no way the fanbases allows the decades, years, uh, months of tradition fall by the wayside.

 

[Kolumbo]

Note that the article is by an organization that is NOT the AAU and, in fact, is highly critical of its elitism. This is an organization that is reflecting how it *wants* the AAU to change in how it evaluates new potential members. However, the AAU has shown to be essentially the opposite (as evidenced by its removal of Nebraska, which then led to the preemptive resignation of Syracuse) - it's becoming more elitist than ever.

So, the sheer size of the school is irrelevant with respect to UConn's AAU prospects. However, the larger issue for UConn is that there are a number of schools that are stronger in areas that the AAU loves (i.e. high profile medical and STEM research), such as Miami, that still aren't members and would be perceived to be higher on the pecking order. With the AAU is growing at a truly glacial pace (only 4 schools added in this millennium with 3 schools removed, for a net change of only 1 additional member in the past 15 years), that's a VERY large barrier. UConn can continue to improve academically, but the AAU is completely about graduate research prestige (as opposed to undergrad rankings, where UConn has been making most of its strides) and UConn has several schools in front of them that they would need to leapfrog. I don't think a lot of people are quite understanding just how closed and elitist the AAU is right now - they make the power conferences look like open-invite meritocracies by comparison. UConn's power conference invite prospects essentially have to assume that an AAU invite isn't coming (as further power conference realignment is much more likely than the AAU expanding its ranks dramatically, if at all).

Agreed. All of that said, realignment has upped the stakes and changed the rules. The B1G has shown that AAU membership isn't REALLY all that important, otherwise it wouldn't continue to allow a non-member a seat at the table. What, a school needs AAU status for an invite but not for membership? The B1G could just as easily say that the CIC is more exclusive and elite than the AAU so the CIC is all that matters.

 

[Kolumbo]

I saw a couple of rankings where Cincy and USF were both much higher than UCONN in terms of research. FWIW. Anyone have a list of top public research universities not in the AAU?

 

[pj]

I saw a couple of rankings where Cincy and USF were both much higher than UCONN in terms of research. FWIW. Anyone have a list of top public research universities not in the AAU?

Apples and oranges. Comparing Cincy and USF medical schools to Storrs not counting the health center.

 

[UConn9604]

If you're talking about Rutgers, the answer is (c), none of the above, apparently.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

If you're talking about Rutgers, the answer is (c), none of the above, apparently.

Well, Rutgers did just learn where $10 million of its money went to...

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-aetna-agent-theft-0603-20150602-story.html

 

[Slasher]

Apples and oranges. Comparing Cincy and USF medical schools to Storrs not counting the health center.

What does this mean? (Literally -- I have no idea why this is apples to oranges.)

 

[CallMeBruce]

What does this mean? (Literally -- I have no idea why this is apples to oranges.)

What he's saying is that they're comparing the Cincinnati and USF medical school funding to similar funding at UConn, but only using the Storrs campus, when most of that money is obviously going to the UConn Health Center.

 

[housekeys]

If we make it into the B10 it will not be because of our football or because of AAU. As long as our football does not suck and as long as we have above average and notable academics, we are good.

We will make it into the B10 for the same reason Louisville made it into the ACC and Rutgers into the B10. Simply because we are a good fit, all things considered, and the desire for the B10 to expand, is there.

 

[Slasher]

What he's saying is that they're comparing the Cincinnati and USF medical school funding to similar funding at UConn, but only using the Storrs campus, when most of that money is obviously going to the UConn Health Center.

Got it. Thanks.