The driving force behind the university community — students, researchers, teachers and professional staff — should be values. Their missions differ, so unity and a common ground are needed, provided by values such as courage, boldness of thinking, fairness and honesty. These serve as the glue binding the different academic roles together and help meet challenges such as AI, plagiarism, mental health and support for neurodiverse people. Such values are old — they underpin the very idea of the university as framed by Humboldt and Newman — and in uncertain times it is wise to rely on what has worked across the epochs, while also considering new values triggered by academia’s contact with the wider world.