AAU

[Rocky Style]

1 hour ago, smazza said:

you poor saps and i say that lovingly

we arent going anywhere

It's a good thing you are not in charge though.  The leadership has to sell the dream and change the narrative.  Whether it happens or not...

[DontPushMe]

Massive props to everyone involved for pulling this off. Finally something for this school and it's alumni to be proud of. 

[Bull Matrix]

14 minutes ago, DontPushMe said:

Massive props to everyone involved for pulling this off. Finally something for this school and it's alumni to be proud of. 

Hell yeah!!! 

[Triple B]

11 hours ago, FazaUSF said:

Um, who are you? As both a USF grad and a Miami grad, I can tell you, Miami's academics do not blow USF away... 

A UCF fan .... pay him no mind.

[Ricky the Bull]

6 hours ago, smazza said:

can i now go to my partners and demand more money?

As long as the school gets a cut.

[FazaUSF]

13 hours ago, Cubanbull said:

Getting into AAU, is a great accomplishment for USF and it will help increase research money and ability to recruit quality faculty and students.

The effects on athletics or alumni will be minimal.

So as an alumni, I celebrate the accomplishment. 

I respectfully disagree.

This is the "big boy's table" of academia. Yes, we have more goals to accomplish, such as breaking the top 25 rankings of public universities (which, frankly, the criteria used for which are pretty objectionable and highly debatable as legitimate/appropriate criteria).  Of course I agree that it will be a boon for research and recruiting faculty and students.

The effects on alumni includes the worth of their degree and their competitiveness for achievement (including publishing, jobs, and graduate programs admissions). Already, I have seen it in my circles. Particularly among the medical and research side. Suddenly, some seem to recognize that an education at USF matters - and is respected. It is not just the neighborhood 4-year commuter school... it is SOMETHING to have a degree from USF. It may not be everywhere or in even the majority of academic circles. But trust me, some industries actually give quite a darn about AAU membership as a factor in assessing the education someone received. I also do not debate whether that should be the case.

The effect on Athletics may be subtle, and quite unlikely to be immediately realized. But.... when you have conferences like the SEC who only keep Vandy for its academic creds (and automatic wins), conferences like the Big Ten who only invite AAU members (such as Rutgers, the perennial athletic doormat, and the disgraced Nebraska), and conferences like the ACC who care somewhat about academics may need to backfill when the SEC and B10 come calling for their other schools - it makes a small but not insignificant difference.

That we are on academic parity with the top research institutions in the country is quite meaningful. Athletics did not get me in to a great graduate school nor did it give me a great education (because I was not an athlete at USF), but it is a strong way to continue ties with the university that made me who I am. Academics got me into a great graduate & medical school (MD+MBA) and helped me ultimately make money. I probably should donate to UM since its degrees really empowered me to produce financially... but USF made me who I am (after my parents) and got me there. Athletics will keep me coming back over time and maintains that connection to the university when I have limited ongoing academic needs. AAU membership makes my degree worth more, and I am proud to have been a very small part of it (first graduate with the Honors College Research Major, for example, and published in multiple fields). 

I can see how some may wave this off, but honestly, I must declare that it is HUGE.

[St.PeteSlim89]

14 hours ago, SilverBull said:

It's all a matter of perspective. Must be one of them Space U academics.

Too funny! Given its (supposed) emphasis on science and engineering, it would have been reasonable to expect that Space U would have obtained AAU status earlier than USF. But they have a cheap stadium, a mythical football national championship, and a lazy river, so they are a better school (sarcasm font)…smh…

[John Lewis]

Thinking it would be cool to have a shirt that says "The 3%" on it.

[Jim Johnson]

5 hours ago, John Lewis said:

Thinking it would be cool to have a shirt that says "The 3%" on it.

Uh... no.
 

Three Percenters - Wikipedia

 

 

[John Lewis]

1 minute ago, Jim Johnson said:

Uh... no.
 

Three Percenters - Wikipedia

 

 

Oh well.