The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

If there is more of an emphasis on research schools with medical schools, maybe UAB should push for this.

"Iowa State University of Science and Technology today announced it has concluded its membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU).

The decision to end AAU membership is driven by Iowa State's commitment to its mission, strengths and impact. While the university's core values have not changed since joining the association in 1958, the indicators used by AAU to rank its members have begun to favor institutions with medical schools and associated medical research funding."

https://www.inside.iastate.edu/article/2022/04/21/aau

Growing up a SEC fan, I use to always dream that my wife's alma mater, Texas A&M, would one day be in the SEC. Obviously, that happened. My second sports dream, also growing up a UAB fan, is to see UAB in the ACC. AAU membership and strong sports teams would certainly make UAB more attractive if the expansion bug hits everyone again. My ideal ACC would have both Notre Dame as a full sport member and UAB added. The Texas A&M move didn't happen over night, so who knows?

https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/profiles/site?...ce&ds=herd

Just eyeballing this list and comparing it to the AAU List, I'm pretty sure UAB is the highest R&D expenditure university (that isn't a stand-alone medical research university) not in the AAU, and is higher than several AAU universities.

Without a doubt the drag on UAB's university prestige is being lumped with UAT and that the governance structure gives them outsized power over UAB. UAT is in last place in the UA system behind UAH! As long as that is the situation, the AAU wouldn't consent to having UAB join the club.

As for ISU, I don't like the AAU's priorities if that is the case. I say that as someone in medicine and medical research.