For four years, the author of this article was the English department learning community coordinator in one of the larger learning community (LC) programs in the country. During his tenure, the number of composition sections linked with courses in other departments grew from a handful to sixty-four. Over this same period, the retention rates for students involved in LCs proved significantly higher than those for their peers. The president was sufficiently impressed to invest $1.5 million in the initiative; and this largesse engendered increased engagement, continued innovation, and exceptional levels of student satisfaction, all of which earned the community a place among the nation's top five LC programs. In this article, the author reflects on his experience as a learning community coordinator. He is troubled by a gap between the official success of the learning community initiative on his campus and his own lingering disappointment.