Research universities around the world are at work on the most challenging problems of today. The research to-do list includes reforming education and reviving the economy, climate change and genome mapping, curing cancer and curbing obesity--to name just a few of the headline grabbers. This article discusses how advancement professionals serving research institutions face the challenge of communicating all that is being done for the good of the general public in the labs of academia--and making the case for greater governmental and private support of these endeavors.