Michigan, Wisconsin voted against Nebraska's membership in AAU
The University of Nebraska’s membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities was considered an influential factor in the school being invited to join the Big Ten Conference.
Just months before that move became official, Michigan and Wisconsin officials apparently voted against Nebraska remaining in the collection of top research institutions, the Lincoln Journal Star reported today.
A Nebraska employee hangs a Big Ten banner on campus on the eve of the school's admittance to the athletic conference.
AP Photo
Nebraska, a member of the AAU for more than a century, became the first school to be removed from the group.
Perlman told the Journal Star he doesn't think the votes contradicted the Big Ten presidents’ unanimous decisions to accept Nebraska into the Big Ten.
"I am prepared to believe that they, in good faith, believed that we were a good university to join the Big Ten and that in accordance with the membership criteria of the AAU we were not eligible to continue there," he said.
Martin declined an interview request from the Journal Star.
Comments
Robert Pachella
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 5:49 p.m.
Keep in mind that 2/3 of the AAU membership voted to remove Nebraska. This is much more than a simple majority or some kind of popularity contest.
Wally the Wolverine
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 4:58 p.m.
I always had the sense that Nebraska wasn't quite upper crust enough when it came to academics. The B1G should've pushed harder to get Notre Dame.
ThoseWhoStayUofM
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 6:08 a.m.
Nebraska objectively does not meet the standards of an AAU school based on technicalities. Michigan and Wisconsin, assuming what the article claims is true, would not be wrong to vote Nebraska out however the only reason why Nebraska is even being questioned in this regard is because, as I understand it, some of their science programs were not technically part of the university in some way and became separate entities although they maintain Nebraska affiliated at the same time. Either way, Michigan and Wisconsin would have been under the impression that those science programs, which used to be counted but no longer could be, would be adequate reason to remove them from the AAU. Nebraska is still a great school academically because they still have all the great science programs that they always had. It's just that those programs could not be counted in the AAU assessment. Based on this, it is very reasonable that Michigan and Wisconsin would vote the way they did.
David Vande Bunte
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 1:49 a.m.
They indicated Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman's belief that Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman and former Wisconsin chancellor Carolyn "Biddy" Martin did not vote to renew Nebraska's membership. Actual results of the secret ballots are not known. This is all you need to know. The Lincoln Star Journal is reporting it as fact, when it is nothing more than the guy's belief. Maybe Michigan and Wisconsin did, maybe they didn't. To report an unknown vote tally as fact is just irresponsible, perhaps Nebraska trying to artificially create rivalries?
15crown00
Mon, Sep 5, 2011 : 5:28 p.m.
I'm prepared to believe that the haughty old head Blue Brain struck again.The Wolvies think nobody but them can do things right because they have such an exaggerated sense of their own Self Importance.
DonAZ
Mon, Sep 5, 2011 : 7:36 p.m.
Maybe. That's the mark of a lot of Big 10 schools ... Michigan, Northwestern and (apparently) Wisconsin. Even *within* the Big 10 there is a certain amount of looking down one's nose at other schools. My sense is a lot of that is based on the schools of Law and Medicine ... two historically prestigious disciplines. Michigan State is world-renowned in veterinary medicine, but few outside that field give it much credence. (Although talk to a vet student about what they must learn vs. a medical student ... it's astonishing.) All this is pretty much moot ... or will be in the next few years. The idea of athletic conferences built around academic standards is starting to crumble. And once it starts to fall apart, it's going to fall part really, really, REALLY quickly. There's no way Michigan, for all its haughtiness over academics, will end up saying "no" when hundreds of millions in athletic monies are at risk. No way. So at the end of the day Michigan is going to end up in a football conference with schools that lack comparable history and academics, but more than make up for it in terms of football revenue potential. It's life, folks ... get used to it.
Larry Weisenthal
Mon, Sep 5, 2011 : 4:56 p.m.
The Lincoln Star Journal story made it appear that membership in the AAU is akin to membership in a secret society or fraternity, with membership determined on the basis of social status and friendships. Thus, the implication was the Michigan and Wisconsin in some way blackballed or sabotaged Nebraska. The story did not relate what are the objective standards on which AAU membership is based nor did it relate how Nebraska did or did not continue to meet these standards. In this regard, the story was incomplete, to say the least. - Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach CA