For those who are confused, this is the Association of American Universities, a consortium of the top research institutions in the country, not the Amateur Athletic Union, which is so prominent in basketball recruiting. This has nothing to do with sports, although being an AAU member didn't hurt when Nebraska was trying to get into the Big Ten. But everyone knew there was a chance this would happen, so I doubt those guys really cared. Of course, it still doesn't look good for Pearlman that the school lost this distinction, which it had held for around a century, on his watch. I'll go tune up the world's tiniest violin so I can play a sad, weepy tune just for him.
Part of Nebraska's problem here was that a large part of their research (literally, their bread and butter) is funded by the USDA, which the AAU doesn't count because it comes in "non-competitive" grants. Also, their medical school is a separate institution and they can't use those numbers, either. Also, the AAU leadership has been on a bit of a purge lately, and a number of marginal members are definitely looking over their shoulders.
But as a member of the Big 10, Nebraska gets to join the CIC, its academic wing, which is probably better than being in the AAU. Basically, all Big 10 members, plus former member the University of Chicago, agree to share research resources. Nebraska will weather this one okay, I think.
