The Community for Excellence (C4E) creates an asset-based approach to equitable learning experiences for students from their first semester to their last. In addition to recognizing the critical importance of educational partners in students’ home communities, C4E leverages the power of a network of campus partners to facilitate belonginess through scholar contact relationships and connections to existing programs and services, thus resulting in increased retention and graduation with an explicit focus on students of color and/or limited income and/or first-generation college students