The AAU is a consortium of leading research institutions.

Dartmouth has joined the Association of American Universities (AAU), President Philip J. Hanlon '77 announced today.

Founded in 1900, the AAU is a consortium of 65 of America's leading public and private research universities—including all of Dartmouth's Ivy League peers—that collectively help shape higher education policy, promote best practices, and amplify members' contributions to American society, according to the AAU website.

"This is a great day for Dartmouth," says President Hanlon. "AAU membership is an affirmation from our peers that we are delivering on a scholar-teacher model that provides extraordinary learning experiences for all of our students while producing research that is expanding the boundaries of knowledge and solving some of the most pressing challenges of our time."

"Becoming a part of AAU is particularly noteworthy, as invitations to new members are rare and extended only by vote of the current membership," says AAU board chair and Indiana University President Michael McRobbie.

AAU members include Stanford, MIT, and dozens of other top institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership is by invitation only and is based on an extensive set of quantitative indicators and qualitative judgements that assess the breadth and quality of a university's research and graduate and undergraduate education programs. Joining at the same time as Dartmouth are the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the University of Utah.