Committee backs concept to draft UConn action plan aimed at AAU membership

Representative Greg Haddad, chair of the House Higher Education Employment Advancement Committee, urged members to draft a concept to explore what it would take for the University of Connecticut to become a member of the Association of American Universities.

"The American Association of Universities is a membership organization that is comprised of the top 70 or so top research universities," Haddad said, and he argued the legislature might identify state policies that "help or hinder the university in terms of building their book of research business." He pointed to a past state policy on unfunded pension liabilities that he said had raised research fringe rates and harmed grant competitiveness.

Representative Case pushed back, saying the university "can actually do this themselves" and warned against drafting legislation that might overstep the university's governance. "Are they choosing not to?" Case asked. Haddad responded that the university's application would be stronger if it had the state’s backing and that an assessment could identify whether state actions impeded the university's prospects.

Committee members agreed to raise the concept for drafting and further public review; the chair said the vote would be held open while members participating in other hearings were given time to return. The session record shows the committee favored exploring the concept and agreed to move forward to gather more details in public hearings.

Why it matters: AAU membership is associated with stronger research grant flows and prestige, which can affect state economic development, federal research funding and campus recruitment. Whether the legislature should take a formal role in supporting membership or simply remove identified barriers is a central question the planned hearings will explore.

What's next: The committee will draft the proposed action-plan concept and schedule public hearings and fiscal review as needed.