Not by the number of students in our classes, but by the number of meaningful exchanges they have with each other, faculty and alumni.

Not by the number of majors in the college, but by the number of high-achieving students from across campus who enroll in our courses.

Not by the number of students we graduate, but by what they do after they leave us.

Not by the number of papers we write, but by the number of people who read them.

Not by how well we are known in our own buildings, but how well we are known off-campus.

Not by how satisfied we are with the status quo, but by how restless we are to change it.

Not by the degree we advertise the data we like, but by our willingness to confront the data we don’t.

Not by our desire to be everything to everybody, but by our commitment to create a unique culture that attracts the very people we seek.

Paul Jarley, Ph.D., is the dean of the UCF College of Business Administration. He blogs every week at http://www.bus.ucf.edu/dean. This post appeared on February 18, 2013. Follow him on Twitter @pauljarley.