Iowa State announces its departure from AAU
University says it has “concluded its membership in the Association of American Universities” and criticizes the way the group selects its members. Iowa State has been a member since 1958.
Iowa State concludes its AAU membership - Inside Iowa State
www.inside.iastate.edu
As we've feared for years, ISU is no longer a member of the AAU. It sounds like it would have been voted out within the coming years, so the university took the less painful step of voluntarily removing itself.
While this is by far the worst thing to happen to ISU in recent memory, it is not necessarily fatal. It is, however, an obvious sign of the university's academic decline. As has been discussed before, ISU's lack of a medical school was a severe drag on its membership, and the research for which ISU is known is discounted in the AAU's ranking methodology. Its funding has been continually slashed by the state legislature. ISU's dramatic slide down other higher education rankings will likely continue at an accelerated pace, while attracting top researchers will be even more difficult than before.
I'd love to hear some discussion, but in my view, the university likely has two alternate paths going forward:
- Focus on undergraduate education and maintain itself as an affordable destination for strong students. Allow research to slowly take the backseat to undergrad education, but continue to provide world-class research in strong areas only.
- Focus on returning to world-class, comprehensive university status. Push harder for more funding, drive up donations, and attempt to start a small medical school (there is already great research happening between the veterinary department and other departments) or merge with Des Moines University and bring its facilities to Ames. Use momentum to boost other research areas, and return to AAU within the decade. Expand percentage of post-graduate students to match AAU peers. Push for a return to higher state funding by demonstrating the university's significant (and underrated) value to the state of Iowa.
Honestly, I don't know how to feel. This is the worst thing that could have possibly happened to ISU, but it wasn’t unexpected. That said, higher education is changing - and changing dramatically. It may be unrecognizable in a decade or two. Perhaps ISU will be able to thrive as a primarily undergraduate institution. This could be a likely path. On its current trajectory, I do see research beginning to decline as a proportion of the university's activities. Today, this would have a dramatically negative effect on the university's funding and reputation. However, it's impossible to say how much this will matter in a decade or two. It seems higher education is on the precipice of massive change, and I don't claim to know what the future landscape will look like. I also don't know how ISU will choose to position itself in that landscape.
I do know what the current landscape looks like, however, and in this landscape, the above second path (or some variation on it) may be the university's only chance at reclaiming its status as a prestigious research university.
EDIT:
Sorry, I wasn't being dramatic enough. This is the worst thing to happen to this university. Ever. Not only that, it’s bad for the state of Iowa.
ISU Administration: take whatever cash you can spare and work out a merger with Des Moines University. Ask major donors for support; this is the moment you've needed it most. Move their facilities to Ames so the AAU considers the medical research attributable to ISU. Develop an MD program while maintaining the DO program à la Michigan State. Collaborate with other sciences departments on medical research. Do it within two years. The university has been compromised and there's very little time to undo the damage. Play the AAU's game before you can't play any game at all.
Iowans: Vote and save your education system. Your legislature is too effective at defunding education and scaring off talented researchers (see legislature’s repeated attempts to eliminate tenure). Best of luck to those of you who live in Iowa and want to educate your kids there.
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