The quest to create engaged public research universities requires academe to confront a stark reality: inflexible administrative structures, historically embedded practices, status-quo thinking, and inertia. Until these obstacles are overcome, the retreat from public life will not be arrested. In this article, the author provides a sample of the challenges confronting citizen-scholars and offers a few examples of what might be done to address several of these challenges. The author suggests that it is time to reflect on how to harness the vast intellectual assets of universities as a lever for social good. Fashioning genuine university-community synergies must move beyond platitude, becoming part of the day-to-day routines of universities.