Higher education institutions have heeded the call to be engaged with their communities, and many have responded by partnering with community entities to address the various social and economic challenges in their locale. Among these are public, Research 1 (R1) higher education anchor institutions that are inextricably linked to their communities, focused on bringing human and intellectual capital to help address local challenges. This article looks deeper into community engagement and explores how public R1 institutions can partner with the community to conduct cutting-edge research that positively impacts their shared home. A four-quadrant research and engagement model of modern higher education institutions is presented. The model focuses on the value and impact of this new breed of research-intensive, place-based institutions.