Higher education institutions around the world are sites of contestation. Armed groups have targeted universities in efforts to divert valuable resources, destabilize communities, and suppress dissent. Moreover, conflict has engendered poor relations with community members that should be characterized by collaboration between the institution and the local community. Using qualitative case study methods, this work explores the experiences of community engagement at two universities in sub-Saharan Africa in two post-conflict nations, Kenya and Côte d'Ivoire, in order to understand higher education's role in the community and the campus-community connection in building peaceful academic places.