The University of California, Davis, and UC Irvine were admitted to membership this week in the Association of American Universities, bringing to six the number of University of California campuses elected to the AAU. UC is the only university system in the nation with more than one AAU member. The action was taken at the AAU's semi-annual meeting in Pasadena on Monday (Oct. 21). Davis and Irvine join Berkeley, UCLA, Santa Barbara and San Diego as UC members among the association's 62 institutions. "The addition of Davis and Irvine to the AAU honor roll acknowledges the tremendous accomplishments these campuses have made in the fields of research and graduate education," said UC President Richard C. Atkinson. "The election of the Davis and Irvine campuses is further evidence of UC's preeminence among the nation's leading universities, an accomplishment in which all Californians can take extraordinary pride." AAU President Cornelius J. Pings said invitations were extended to UC Davis and UC Irvine as a result of a lengthy review of prospective new members, which has been under way for more than three years. He said prospective members are being assessed on the basis of the breadth and depth of their research and graduate education programs and the overall trajectories of these programs. "Both the University of California, Davis, and the University of California, Irvine, are exceptional institutions that have many outstanding, nationally recognized research and education programs in a wide variety of areas," Pings said. "In addition, both universities have a clear vision for the future and are well-positioned to continue building on their strengths in the years ahead." Said UC Davis Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef: "It is nice to have it confirmed in this formal and very prestigious way that UC Davis is among the nation's top institutions of higher learning. The distinction is first and foremost a credit to the accomplishments of our faculty in all three areas of our mission, but the honor also recognizes the excellent students we attract, and our extraordinary staff. It is a credit, as well, to the University of California that we now have several of our campuses elected to AAU membership -- a distinction without parallel in all of higher education." The AAU was founded in 1900. Approximately half its members are publicly funded and half are private. Membership in the association is by invitation only and requires the assent of three-fourths of the current members. UC Davis and UC Irvine are the first new members since April 1995, when UC Santa Barbara and Emory University were admitted. UC Berkeley was admitted in 1900, UCLA joined in 1974 and UC San Diego became a member in 1982. Other California members of AAU are Stanford University, the California Institute of Technology and the University of Southern California.