The first half of this paper provides a historical overview of: (a) J. V. Snellman's philosophy of "sivistys"; and (b) its legacy on public policy in Finland. The second half discusses the findings of a qualitative study exploring contemporary understandings of the public good among Finnish policymakers and university staff. The dataset comprised semi-structured interviews with 3 policymakers and 18 university staff. The findings show that "sivistys" forms a powerful political and socio-cultural basis for framing the public good role of HE, both as self-formation (critical thinking, ethical behaviour, orientation to truth) and societal transformation (shared values, ethics, serving humanity). Equitable access to HE is also considered a key feature of the public good, reflecting the broader social policy goals of equity and social cohesion. Changing political settlements and a policy focus on competition may threaten the resilience of the "sivistys" university.