In a post-truth world of "alternative facts", one man is going in to bat for evidence.
Universities Australia chairman Barney Glover says there's been a creeping cynicism and even outright hostility towards evidence and expertise, both in Australia and around the world.
"The turn that public debate has taken is a challenge to universities," he will tell the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.
"In an era where extremists and polemicists seek to claim more and more of the public square, our need for unbiased, well-researched information has seldom been greater."
That doesn't necessarily mean universities have all the answers - or that the wisdom of the layperson should be discounted - but they were unequivocally the best place to pose the questions the world needs answered.
In the search for a cancer cure, saving lives from preventable disease, lifting living standards, overcoming prejudice, and preventing catastrophic climate change, expertise has never been more important, Professor Glover will say.
"We must stand up for evidence. Stand up for facts. Stand up for the truth," he will say.
"Because if we don't, who will?"
Prof Glover will also argue that universities are the best-equipped institutions to help Australia ride the wave of disruption that is drastically reshaping the economy - by turning rust belts into "brain belts".
New research shows four in five startup founders in Australia are tertiary graduates, with many nurtured by a university incubator, accelerator or mentoring scheme.
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