I didn't say anything about formal education or credentialling.
The original and still key purpose of universities is to gather academics together.
Teaching was a by-product of that origin. Would-be students flocked to the cities where scholars had clustered and eventually, folks started to organise.
The word "university" means "of one", or "guild", or "group". That reflects its origin as a club for academics.
Literally people whose reason for being at university is to be in a club of people focusing on these sorts of questions consistently.
The closest alternative are the many and various think-tanks, most of which are intertwined with academia.
Universities have been sliding downhill for a long time and they know why because they operate the nightclub protocol for entry.
Geography and formal education not what links the people I mentioned. Correlation, causation, you know the mantra.