This article defines research centers as associative enterprises for solving scholarly and societal problems that cannot be adequately addressed by individuals. The authors identify more than fifty research centers in rhetoric and writing, past and present, and argue that they function as change agents by emphasizing collaboration and conducting research focused on publics. To examine more fully their sense that research centers can be powerful change agents, the authors undertook a systematic process of reflecting on their own center work and studying past and present centers in the discipline. They traced research center scholarship, examined research center self-representation, and analyzed the location of research center work in their discipline's history and language. In this article, the authors (1) discuss how two early national research centers helped legitimize the discipline of rhetoric and writing and addressed society beyond academia; (2) examine the challenges and achievements of four contemporary centers; (3) identify how centers across the country strive to impact publics; and (4) propose ways to enhance the effectiveness and visibility of their collective work conducted through research centers. (Contains 9 notes.)