Community-university partnerships are at the heart of much of what institutions of higher education are trying to achieve: build bridges to opportunity, bring research to the solution of social problems, and bring interdisciplinary perspectives to bear on the challenges in contemporary society. Despite the promise of partnerships, they remain challenging endeavors. This paper analyzes the challenges faced by those who seek to strengthen partnerships in the face of a time of limited and diminishing resources but where there is also heightened need and interest on the part of communities in working with universities.