This article presents the author's response to Karlsson (2007) who pointed out that the author's original article that appeared in the "Points for Debate" section of "Teaching in Higher Education" (Greenbank 2006) did not discuss the concept of service as comprehensively as teaching and research. Karlsson's paper--together with the work of Macfarlane (2005, 2006)--provides a valuable contribution to the understanding of what is meant by service. However, the author is not convinced of the need to replace the word "service" with "collaboration" or the suggestion that a "holistic" approach to teaching, research and service should be adopted so that no aspect of these three elements of academic life are prioritised. Here, the author's response to these points is discussed and his personal perspective on the academic's role is represented.