According to the National Center for Education Statistics (Aud et al., 2013), only 10.6% of students who started at a two-year institution in the 2003-2004 year successfully completed a baccalaureate degree from a four-year institution within six years. Two- and four-year institutions are looking for new strategies to improve transfer student degree attainment. An innovative approach is the creation of higher education centers (HECs) where two- and four-year institutions collaborate in a shared facility. This dissertation explored the reasons behind the creation of higher education centers with a focus on the role team leadership plays in creating, maintaining, and enhancing these centers. It also analyzed the impact these centers have on improving the graduation rates of community college transfer students. The research is an exploratory study that used a mixed method approach. Four research phases were identified that included an online survey instrument, a review of institutional artifacts, collection of transfer students' completion data from 4 HECs, and a comparative analysis of the findings. Access to postsecondary education, workforce development, and economic growth were identified as major reasons for creating HECs. The results showed that HECs were established through a collaborative process that included two-year institutions, four-year institutions, local government, and the business community. The results suggest that HECs increase baccalaureate degree completion rates for transfer students above the national average. Finally, the leadership strategies used by the HECs and the partnering institutions were consonant with characteristics of team leadership. [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.]