<p>This essay critiques the dominant discourse that evaluates higher education in terms of metricization, marketization, and managerialization. The ‘common sense’ of academic capitalism—in its pursuit of excellence through narrow assessment and evaluative metrics—actually diminishes the value of higher education. Drawing from Gramsci’s concepts of hegemony and the war of position, a critical theoretical discussion is offered of how the emphasis on economic productivity has resulted in institutions becoming fragmented and reliant on various (and precarious) funding sources, and therefore susceptible and vulnerable to corporate interests and political attacks. The metaphor of a Citadel is introduced to make sense of recent sociopolitical events as operations to weaken academic freedom and intellectual inquiry. Subsequently, the metaphor generates prompts to theorize the potential and usefulness of alternative gauges of value. Emphasis on the social and cultural value of higher education is made to contest the dominant economic orientation, for unless challenged by counter-hegemonic efforts, higher education will become a tool that further concentrates power in the hands of the few at the expense of the many. The arguments of this essay offer both practical and theoretical considerations for institutional leaders, student affairs professionals, policy analysts, faculty, and graduate students involved in the study of higher education.</p>