Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) represent one of many types of institutions in the American system of higher education. Comparatively little attention has been given to the campus' executive leader, namely the president. Our study describes early twenty-first century contributions to and challenges of public land-grant historically Black colleges and universities to life in the United States, as perceived by HBCU presidents. Three major themes that emerged from the analysis of data generated from interviews are: (a) serving as "the people's university," (b) educating the "underserved" everywhere, and (c) promoting racial uplift and empowerment. Suggestions for policy, practice, and research are discussed. (Contains 1 table.)