Four Centers of Excellence were created in 2005 as part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. The Centers were an initiative of the governor and enacted by the legislature with multiple purposes, including creating distinctive capacity within the system, leveraging resources across multiple institutions, providing career ladders with multiple entry and exit points to encourage the growth of the workforce in key industries, and strengthening the state’s economy. Three years of reports present the challenges, accomplishments, and lessons learned in setting up the Centers.