Virginia Tech in the AAU?
Graphics are from Saturday on Twitter by @TJAltimore - Tony's take on the best candidates to join the Association of American Universities.
One could argue that VT would be a good fit in either the B1G or the SEC.
Link:
Twitter post
55 Replies
T
TDVick
2y
selective. A lot of the selectivity is due to supply and demand. That is what I attribute to FSU's rapid rise up the "Large Public" category from USNW. That is basically what I pay attention to. The enrollment at all of the Florida schools is growing rapidly.
There are some headscratchers in that bunch as well. If you came here to read something good about Wake, you clicked the wrong post.
(In response to this post by Jefferson Hokie)
2y
Tables 23 holds the data in question. Table 13 offers more definition of the categories.
Link:
NSF
(In response to this post by Jefferson Hokie)
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Marooned
2y
These selections are all over the map and make it seem so arbitrary.
(In response to this post by Jefferson Hokie)
T
TDVick
2y
that they took our spot. The phone kept ringing off the hook but VT didn't want to pick it up, because it might have jeopardized our bus ride local footprint games to groovy Wake Forest. Either that or Swofford talked someone out of accepting it. He had something cooked up that was way better. Short on details, but certain to be great.
Maybe our women's lacrosse club team was hitting its stride and we didn't want to disrupt its momentum by worrying about football or anything else. Got to keep focused on priorities!
** Edited by TDVick at 6/10/2024, 4:32:19 PM
(In response to this post by Marooned)
J
jdkhokie
2y
** Edited by jdkhokie at 6/10/2024, 9:28:27 PM
(In response to this post by TDVick)
2y
no matter how badly a bunch of football fans want it to be as simple as something like total research expenditures
(In response to this post by Marooned)
M
Marooned
2y
this information is pretty telling regardless.
(In response to this post by Pylons)
2y
(In response to this post by Marooned)
I think I'll take the Groucho Marx approach.
I think the selection process is quite arbitrary.
VT deserves to be in the AAU more so than some of the schools that are "in the club".
They keep moving the goal posts on us, too. They just put Notre Dame in and they are hardly even a research university. So I have no idea what they are looking for. And I don't think we should sweat it if we never get an invite.
(In response to this post by Marooned)
i think KU is pretty good academically, no?
(In response to this post by Marooned)
2y
(In response to this post by MrBayAreaHokie)
V
VPI 1924
2y
Duke, Harvard etc.
(In response to this post by HwoodHokie)
2y
WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN??
(In response to this post by VPI 1924)
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WBGV
2y
conference realignment, Altimore would have to be at the top of the list.
He should know by now that AAU members (who do the inviting) are mainly concerned about medical research money and which schools can use their political muscle to get more funding from the corrupt NIH than other schools.
He also continues to rely on the worthless tabloid rankings to create his pretty charts. If there was any validity whatsoever to his charts, Calford would be preparing themselves for their first year in the B1G as full members instead of sending their student athletes to the other side of the country for 1/3 of the conference distributions as other members for the next 7 years.
The B1G has repeatedly said that having AAU membership is not a requirement, and the SEC couldn’t care less about AAU status or phony tabloid rankings. TV networks care about the eyeballs a school can draw to their telecasts and the conferences care about keeping the networks interested in them. Everything else is insignificant just like Altimore’s charts.
** Edited by WBGV at 6/10/2024, 12:03:20 PM
Link:
‘Indicators used by AAU to rank its members have begun to favor institutions with medical schools’
(In response to this post by Jefferson Hokie)
2y
My guess is that Y axis means a lot more than the X axis. Just look at how many schools high on the Y axis aren't members vs the X axis.
And it doesn't take into consideration multiple Z axis. Other likely factors - like the composition of the Y axis portfolio, # of Natl Acad of Science Members, high impact publications, etc aren't even included.
When making a presentation, we used to call this baffle 'em with BS.
VT is probably on the short list, but who knows. And the other thing, does it really matter? I personally don't think it matters very little. If VT were suddenly invited to the AAU, would its chances of being invited to one of the P2 appreciably improve? Very little, IMO.
Beyond that AAU membership is utterly meaningless. Nobody cares about it except people in university PR depts and basement keyboard chest thumpers. It has zero real world impact on research or education.
** Edited by marcbvtgm at 6/10/2024, 10:35:40 AM
** Edited by marcbvtgm at 6/10/2024, 10:38:57 AM
(In response to this post by Jefferson Hokie)
on top of ole's smokey
(In response to this post by MrBayAreaHokie)
2y
If schools keep getting invited to the AAU and not many schools lose out on AAU (i.e. Nebraska), how special is it if a lot of schools are AAU? It is just like conference realignment - some conferences get watered down because being in a certain conference doesn't carry the same weight as it once did (or how old FCS schools are in the FBS, but are in the same conference as a lot of the other FCS teams that moved up).
(In response to this post by marcbvtgm)
2y
That means any school getting invited either has less research money or a lower school ranking.
Incredibly, there are 44 schools that spend LESS on research than VT that are members. There are only 2 universities, UAB and CINC, who are non-members and spend more on research than VT.
Incredibly, there are 25 schools with a lower academic rating than VT included. Only 1 university, Georgetown, is a no-member with a higher academic rating.
UGA and NCSU are the only other 2 schools in a similar position to VT where their exclusion is a statistical anomaly, and possibly GT.
(In response to this post by Jefferson Hokie)
2y
I really don't know what the exact criteria, but it would be nice to have some transparency that is somewhat formulaic, else you're going to end up with a moving finish line so it can be positioned in front of the desired "Winners"
(In response to this post by Pylons)
2y
Simple and straightforward and consistent. And I didn’t realize VT was top of the heap for being excluded. I knew we had a good case but wasn’t aware we were that far into the AAU cloud without being invited.
(In response to this post by Jefferson Hokie)
On the bubble and first out, as usual.
(In response to this post by HokieAl)
2y
it's not a good one for contemplating AAU membership decisions, because that process is not simple and straightforward
(In response to this post by HokieAl)
2y
(In response to this post by HokieAl)
E
EDGEMAN
2y
(In response to this post by HokieAl)
2y
to do with athletics. Attaining more research dollars would be a huge feather in the cap, and could attract even more top students than they are already.
(In response to this post by Jefferson Hokie)
2y
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
T
TDVick
2y
seems to have tremendous sway with them.
(In response to this post by marcbvtgm)
2y
(In response to this post by TDVick)
2y
(In response to this post by marcbvtgm)
2y
I've never once heard AAU membership mentioned with regard to approving a grant proposal or establishing a subcontractual relationship on a sponsored research project. NEVER. There is certainly an old boys network of sorts but it does not in any way revolve around AAU membership. Or conference membership for that matter.
The old boys network revolves more around who trained in what lab, who met/got drunk with whom at a conference or meeting, etc.
** Edited by marcbvtgm at 6/13/2024, 3:10:37 PM
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
2y
As with anything, but AAU doesn't create or enhance those you're describing
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
2y
IMO, there's potentially a negative to "pursuing" AAU, as I don't see it as that beneficial, but there's nothing negative about actually gaining the status
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
2y
(In response to this post by Pylons)
2y
When I attended in the 90’s it was clear that everyone from average to good to great to the top students had an opportunity to attend. And some average students have had great careers while not every great student ends up with great careers.
I’m all for VT doing well and growing. Just as long as it doesn’t try to be too exclusive. VT needs to be a solid all around school for the students first. And make sure that the researchers can still teach. I hated having professors who were smart but horrible at teaching.
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
2y
ability to attract and retain top professors and research programs. Being an AAU member, rather than not, only helps in the applications for more research dollars.
I, however agree with you - a good education is not the amount of research dollars the institution receives. They are, and should be there, for the students first - hands down. What they have evolved to however, is a bit different than what they were created for.
(In response to this post by HokieAl)
2y
You get AAU membership by getting the better students and having better research program, not the other way around. If you can find a student who went to a school because the school was an AAU member or a sponsored research project which got approved because the school was an AAU member, I'd like to see them.
** Edited by marcbvtgm at 6/14/2024, 1:51:46 PM
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
2y
Those three are all grouped together; and these are 2022 data
(In response to this post by Jefferson Hokie)
2y
resources at VT are actively working for us to obtain AAU Status.
(In response to this post by DMV Gobbler)
10 years ago, I heard from high folks at VT that we were close. Who knows
(In response to this post by DMV Gobbler)
E
EDGEMAN
2y
In the last round of invitations, only one school (ASU) had more research funding than VT...everyone else had less...some significantly less.
(In response to this post by DMV Gobbler)
D
dayooper
2y
But how they are gained. It’s been explained to me that the AAU covets those schools that gain their research dollars through competitive grants. Those that can apply and, through their merit are awarded them. It’s not the only metric, but a large part of the formula. It’s why medical and engineering research universities are a priority while farming and agriculture are not as highly regarded.
I’m not sure how much VT played the game, but if you are as close as you say you are, you must be good with those grants.
(In response to this post by EDGEMAN)
2y
AFRI. This according to the website you linked.
(In response to this post by Pylons)
D
dayooper
2y
Not even close. My point was the amount of research isn’t as important as how it was awarded. The AAU holds grants that are awarded by merit in higher regard than those that are just given.
I also said if VT is close (your insider says you are close) that you must having success at earning those merit grants. VT would fit in with engineering schools like Purdue and Michigan very well.
As a fan of Michigan, VT has always been on my list of schools I would love to have in the Big10. In fact, you all are in the tier right underneath ND and FSU as my most desired non SEC schools I would love to be in a conference with. I love the energy of the Stadium on game days. I love playing schools with atmospheres like yours. You would fit in well with Michigan, OSU, PSU, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska (all with different but fun atmospheres).
(In response to this post by Concord Dan)