The purpose of this case study is to provide a description of the characteristics of an academia-industry partnership that works together with industry to meet the education and training needs in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field. After the launch of Sputnik in 1957, U.S. pursued efforts to compete in STEM fields on a global scale. In recent years, college graduates are falling short in their ability to meet the needs of employers that are focused on STEM. The ability to develop human capital in support of STEM fields is critical to the ability of the U.S. to maintain a competitive advantage in the current technological era. The partnerships that exist between institutions of higher learning and STEM industry leaders represent a key component needed for U.S. success in maintaining STEM dominance, and an exploration of the characteristics that create successful collaboration between these two key stakeholders is explored in this study. The research contained in this dissertation consisted of interviews, focus groups, document analysis, gathering of artifacts, and observations of the partnership between a technical college and a STEM-related industry. The academia-industry partnership explored in this study contained the following characteristics: 1. Technical Hands-on Education and Training Responsive to a Local Industry Need, 2. Written Formal Agreement with Clear Roles and Responsibilities for Each Stakeholder, 3. Involved, Experienced, and Competent Leadership and Oversight, 4. Communication Ease based on Proximity, Integrity, and Relationships, 5. Economy-based Vulnerabilities and Growing Pains. In light of the results of this study, educational leaders should connect with local industry leaders in their community to understand the role the college can play to help meet the STEM needs for entry-level jobs. The findings in this study are significant for college educators, students, and STEM-industry leaders. Additional studies of the characteristics of partnerships that succeed versus partnerships that fail, partnerships in non-STEM fields, and a multiple case study on successful partnerships could provide additional insight into academia-industry relationships. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]