In her first column in the first issue of Currents, CASE’s new president Alice Beeman wrestled with a big question: who speaks for education—and if advancement professionals are key spokespeople, what can and should we be saying about it?

Beeman knew firsthand the weight of those questions. She’d served in communications roles at multiple universities and led the American Association of University Women. She’d go on to lead CASE for its first four formative years.

One of the conclusions she drew then rings just as true now, 50 years later. Especially amid societal shifts or periods of declining faith in higher education, she wrote, institutions must consider and deliver on the promises they make to students, communities, and society. Here, explore Beeman’s reflections excerpted from her Currents columns on purpose and relevance.