#higher education

• Academy — A monumental institution of the highest scientific and cultural rank, dedicated to promoting fundamental research, cultivating the arts, and preserving a nation's intellectual heritage. The term originates in classical antiquity, evoking the philosophical school founded by Plato in the groves dedicated to the hero Akademos near Athens. In modern times, it represents either the supreme national body composed of the elite intelligentsia or an institution of higher education focused on specialized fields of excellence.
• Academy — A supreme national institution with a scientific, literary, or artistic profile, composed of a select body of scholars (academicians), whose role is to guide research, establish language standards, and preserve cultural heritage. In a broad and educational sense, the term denotes a higher school or a specialized university in an elite field (e.g., a military, economic, or art academy). The concept stems from Antiquity, recalling the grove in Athens where Plato held his philosophical lectures.
• Alma mater — An allegorical expression from Latin, literally translated as 'nourishing mother', historically used by Romans to designate kind goddesses (Ceres, Cybele) and universally adopted in medieval and modern academic environments to refer to the university, college, or school that a person graduated from, which provided their intellectual and spiritual formation.