This ethnographic study answers the following overarching research question: How do faculty perceive community college transfer students' academic preparedness and ability to academically succeed at a small, private university? Using data collected from faculty interviews, analysis yielded salient themes: 1. The faculty perception of academic preparedness aligned with the prior exposure participants had with the community college sector. 2. The faculty viewed the university as offering greater rigor than community colleges. 3. The faculty felt a sense of unknowing, and their lack of ability to help students hindered student academic success. A description of practical applications for university officials on four-year campuses, as well as recommendations for future research are described.