Almost all seem to have a renewed emphasis on freshman advising and retention, and none lack a finely crafted mission statement. And of course, everyone likes to point to their ranking in some classification scheme, either to highlight it or explain it away. Look for the largest budgets and you'll find the real values. I think that this is only partially true. High school teachers love their subject.
University professors love themselves.
They take the time to study it, measure it, improve it, and present their ideas to their peers. And as a community, they value the efforts and the results of their colleagues. This year, I have the privilege of working with five of the many colleagues who think this way. Please look at the section on Center Scholars and give them a call. I'm sure they'd love to discuss student learning with you.