the alliance for the arts in research universities

What the alliance for the arts in research universities does

The Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru) is a national nonprofit consortium of 50 leading research universities that supports the integration of arts and arts-based research into higher education. Housed within the University of Michigan's Office of the Vice Provost for Engaged Learning in Ann Arbor, a2ru is led by Executive Director Maryrose Flanigan and operates through working groups, annual national conferences, the Emerging Creatives Student Summit program, webinars, and peer-reviewed publications. Its primary digital assets are Ground Works, a peer-reviewed online platform for arts-integrated research with multimedia storytelling; Tradition Innovations in Arts, Design, and Media Higher Education, an open-access digital journal co-published with UNLV; and the Creative Placemaking Resource Hub, a living archive built on ArtPlace America's field-building work.

The organization's business model is membership-based and recurring. Institutional membership is tiered (Partner $10,000/year, Associate and Advocate $5,000-$10,000, Affiliate $5,000), with separate pricing for community colleges ($1,000-$2,500), academic departments ($750-$4,050), and individual members ($30-$500/year). Revenue is supplemented by conference and summit registration fees, transactional job and event listings ($70-$189 per post), and discounted publication sales. a2ru derives further support from foundation grants, principally the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. The organization serves R1/R2 research universities as its primary customer segment, with secondary segments in community colleges, academic departments, and individual faculty/administrators/students.

Name

the alliance for the arts in research universities

Legal name

Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities

Website

https://a2ru.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

a2ru is a nonprofit alliance of 50+ research universities, hosted at the University of Michigan, that drives arts integration in higher education through working groups, annual conferences, student summits, and peer-reviewed journals, funded via tiered institutional and individual memberships plus foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN)

Keywords

• Arts integration research
• Higher education consortium
• Peer-reviewed publishing
• Academic membership services
• Interdisciplinary collaboration

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Institutional Membership Dues: Tiered membership fees from universities ($5,000-$10,000/year), community colleges ($1,000-$2,500/year), academic departments ($750-$4,050), and individual members ($30-$500/year). Partner level membership ($10,000/year for 3 years) includes complimentary conference registrations, job postings, and event promotion.
2. Conference and Event Registration: Revenue from annual national conferences and Emerging Creatives Student Summits through registration fees. Partner institutions receive complimentary registrations while others pay discounted rates.
3. Job and Event Listing Services: Fee-based posting of job and event listings through newsletter, social media, and website channels. Newsletter Only: $70, Social Media Only: $70, Website Only: $70, Social Media & Website: $140, or Newsletter, Social Media & Website: $189.
4. Publications and Materials: Discounted sales of a2ru print research materials (30% discount for Partner members). Student travel grants ($250) and scholar awards (up to $1,000) provide funding to support participation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

a2ru is a national nonprofit alliance of 50+ leading research universities that convenes members to advance arts integration in higher education through tiered institutional and individual memberships, annual national conferences, peer-reviewed journals (Ground Works and Tradition Innovations), Emerging Creatives Student Summits, and six active working groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Institutional Membership Program
• Individual Membership Program
• Ground Works
• Tradition Innovations in Arts, Design, and Media Higher Education
• Job and Event Listing Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 research universities as members with participation from many more institutions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022Partnership with UNLV College of Fine Arts to publish Tradition Innovations journal, an open-access, peer-reviewed digital journal exploring innovations at the intersection of creative work, scholarship, and teaching in arts, design, and media higher education.
• Leonardo/ISASTmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Leonardo (publication and think tank serving transdisciplinary scholars, artists, scientists, and technologists) for the Leonardo CripTech Incubator documentation project 'Reco(r)ding CripTech' on Ground Works platform.
• CultureSourceminorGTM or Marketing Partnera2ru is a member of CultureSource, a regional arts service organization.
• Isaacson, MillerminorOthersNational executive search firm retained to assist with dean search for University of Michigan's A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.
• Member Universities (50+)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFifty leading research universities are members of the Alliance, including Stanford University, University of Utah, University of Florida, Georgia Tech, Michigan State University, and many others. Members participate in conferences, working groups, and collaborative initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U): AAC&U is a national membership consortium of colleges and universities advancing liberal education and equity, operating on a similar institutional-dues and conference model that directly parallels a2ru's structure and approach.
• Imagining America: Imagining America is a consortium of colleges and universities focused on public scholarship in the arts, humanities, and design, with near-identical mission overlap to a2ru's arts-in-research-university integration focus.
• American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS): ACLS is a federation of scholarly organizations supporting humanities and social sciences research, sharing a2ru's consortium model of convening institutions and scholars around shared research agendas.
• National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD): NASAD accredits institutions offering degrees in art and design, serving as the closest disciplinary peer for arts-in-higher-education accreditation, membership, and standards work.
• Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU): APLU is a research university consortium with member dues, working groups, and policy advocacy, closely comparable to a2ru in membership model and constituency (large research universities).
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences: American Academy convenes scholars and institutions to advance knowledge across disciplines, with a membership-based nonprofit model that parallels a2ru's convening and publication functions.
• National Humanities Alliance: National Humanities Alliance advocates for humanities research and education through a coalition of institutions, sharing a2ru's higher-education advocacy and convening orientation.
• ArtPlace America: ArtPlace America advances arts-based community development and creative placemaking. a2ru explicitly built its Creative Placemaking Resource Hub on ArtPlace America's decade of field-building work, indicating close programmatic alignment.
• Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP): AWP is a nonprofit literary organization serving writers, writing programs, and arts institutions through conferences, publications, and advocacy, sharing a2ru's arts-discipline membership and conference-driven model. Note: a2ru's executive director previously worked at AWP.
• Council of Independent Colleges: Council of Independent Colleges is a higher education association serving private nonprofit colleges and universities through programming, advocacy, and member services, with comparable membership-dues and conference model to a2ru.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a2ruconnect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about the alliance for the arts in research universities