Higher education's audience today is large, varied, and diverse in its expectations. According to this author, one challenge is for people in higher education to work with their several audiences to develop a "shared language of expectation." He is convinced the way to do so is by opening a conversation both "within the academy" and "with those outside it" with a goal of identifying true intersections of interests across both constituencies. To begin developing a shared language of expectation with those outside the academy--policymakers, business and professional constituencies, the media, and others--the author suggests that academics need to check their "attitudes" at the door. He believes that a common language of expectation is possible only if they are willing to build a relationship.