This case study was conducted to gain more knowledge from citizens in the four city area of Virginia which included Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach concerning the emergence of proprietary colleges in these areas. It was a qualitative study designed to gain more insight into the feelings and regard that citizens in these areas have for the new proprietary colleges and universities that have established campuses in these urban areas. The query was also designed to determine the extent of their present knowledge regarding these institutions as well as to determine if they would be willing to work with the colleges on a collaborative basis on projects and programs created to enhance, enrich, and improve the various neighborhoods where campuses are located. Understanding the attitudes and emotions of inner-city residents toward the new higher education entities is essential to this dissertation which basically advocates that proprietary colleges and universities move more quickly toward forming strong bonds ii and networks with their stakeholders in order to create an ongoing atmosphere of teamwork and trust. This innovative task will benefit the institution and community as they both move toward the same goals and objectives. Since proprietary colleges have now reserved a seat for themselves in the higher education sector, they must now move towards assuming the role that traditional colleges themselves are still seeking to improve, and that is assuming their mission with the people they serve outside of the college campus. Results of the survey indicated that while corporations which own proprietary colleges are not making community outreach their number one priority at the present time, some things are being done to network with other community organizations such as articulation agreements with community colleges and sharing faculty expertise with businesses in the area. However, with the criticism and scrutiny faced by proprietary colleges today, more direct and focused attention should be given to changing priorities and re-directing efforts to gaining the community's trust and support through creating more transparency. As this research shows, technological and global change have spawned the proprietary colleges which in turn are meeting a serious need for the working adult today. Nevertheless, as has been shown time and time again, technology is only as successful as the human minds which are needed to guide it in the right directions. Realizing that such endeavors will cost money, time, and effort, this case study offers recommendations for achieving community collaborations through strategic planning and systems thinking. The recommendations are as follows: Uniting with other proprietary, community, and larger colleges in the area. 1. Involving smaller businesses in their activities. 2. Inviting residents to Open House and other activities whenever possible. 3. Using faculty, administrators, and students to participate in community activities. 4. Using alumni to continue participation in community activities once it has begun. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]