On August 9, 2024, FABBS co-signed a letter to the Membership Committee of the Association of American Universities (AAU), expressing our collective questions and concerns regarding the National Research Council’s Highly Prestigious Awards List, featured on the AAU website.
Signatories are seeking greater transparency and clarification about the creation, updating, and criteria of this prestigious awards list. While the award list is widely recognized and utilized by universities and scientific institutions, the letter raised several concerns surrounding the unintended impact it has on personnel decisions and institutional investments.
For starters, the list, which was developed in 2005 and last updated in 2011, does not reflect recent developments or emerging disciplines. This outdated information affects how awards are used in faculty evaluations and institutional planning. As these awards continue to influence faculty hiring and investment decisions, there is a risk that institutions focus on the disciplines or individuals associated with these awards at the expense of others, even though AAU discourages this practice. FABBS notes that the current Highly Prestigious Awards List omits the Troland Research Award and the Atkinson Prize in Psychological and Cognitive Sciences – both National Academy of Sciences (NAS) awards that are significant for the behavioral and social sciences.
Our letter calls for clear guidelines and a formal, transparent process for maintaining and updating the list. It also requests information on the metrics and processes used to develop and update the list, ensuring regular updates to reflect current standards and emerging fields, and engaging with non-profit societies and other stakeholders to provide objective input and ensure the list’s relevance across disciplines. By advocating for these changes, we aim to ensure that the Highly Prestigious Awards List serves its intended purpose effectively and fairly.
