The question of the value of higher education is today set in the context of an unprecedented banking and financial crisis. In this context of fundamental change and financial realignment, it is important that we as members of the university remake our case for why the university deserves to be considered alongside all those other worthy causes that require support from the public purse. This article argues for the view of the university as a community built around the common purpose of learning and enquiry; extending and disseminating knowledge in a way that engenders a sense of serious solidarity with the world; its people and its environment; and the creation of a humane society.