While assessment of student learning outcomes has become standard operating procedure on virtually every campus, the driving forces for pursuing assessment remain primarily external. For that to change, campuses must evolve toward a culture of assessment based on the shared values and expectations that arise out of a community. The first step in developing a community that can support a culture of assessment is to create a climate of conversation rather than confrontation around assessment. The authors have found two vehicles useful in creating a climate of conversation at the University of Arkansas. One of these is an annual community event, the Assessment Expo, and the second is a virtual community organized through their Web site Assessment Central. Both communities include members from several campus populations and input from every level of the organization. Both provide participants with a showcase for their successes and an avenue for making connections with their colleagues. The annual Assessment Expo was initiated in fall 2000 with the modest goal of providing an avenue for assessing student learning in the core or general education courses. It consists of four components: (1) Core curriculum assessment poster session; (2) Program assessment poster session; (3) Workshop with an outside consultant; and (4) Celebration. The original purpose of the second vehicle, the Assessment Central Web Site, was to organize information for a progress report on assessment that was due to the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association in December 2003. Its secondary purpose was to provide an ongoing mechanism for accessing and sharing information about program assessment among the university's degree programs. Assessment Central also has four components: (1) Highlights; (2) Resources; (3) Program assessment; and (4) Core curriculum assessment.