Six more universities are joining the Association of American Universities (AAU), an invitation-only club of top research institutions, The Washington Post reported. This brings the club’s membership to 71.
The six are George Washington University (GWU), Arizona State University; the University of California at Riverside; University of South Florida; University of Miami; and University of Notre Dame.
Being invited into the AAU signals that a school has, in some way, reached the national stage, especially in competing for research funding and top faculty recruitment. The selection and invitation process is exclusive and somewhat opaque, leaving out many schools generally thought of as worthy.
“We are particularly proud that two of our new members — Arizona State and UC-Riverside — are designated as Hispanic-serving institutions because significant shares of their student bodies are individuals from Hispanic backgrounds,” AAU President Barbara R. Snyder said in a statement.
AAU recognition especially matters to professors, ASU President Dr. Michael M. Crow said.
“We are as competitive as any faculty that exists,” he said, citing ASU programs in space exploration, sustainability, advanced materials, and semiconductors.
