It’s not how well athletic teams perform. It’s not whether presidents or chancellors have good ratings. It’s nothing more or less than the work of higher education, namely, teaching, research, and other services to society. Quality is expressed in multifaceted ways by faculty and staff, by what students learn and how they apply that learning in life, and by how people and communities benefit from engagements with higher education.

What we’ve just described can’t be compressed or expressed as a brand, or otherwise contoured in a marketing campaign. Both are papier-mache. What really matters is the work of higher education–not the administration of it–the work that happens every day, on-campus and off, by those who make the higher education what it is. Not just today, but every day, for decades. That is the TRADITION of higher education.

We were truly blessed to be part of that tradition.

There are ways to express what we’ve just said so the general public “gets it.” Here’s a recent example, authored by the University of Pennsylvania. The short video speaks volumes about what enables education to bear the audacious label, HIGHER.

You don’t need to be “the first,” as the video emphasizes, and the work extends far beyond medical advancements. You just need to be present, active, and engaged in “higher” work across fields and professions.