The University of Pretoria (UP) adopted an anchor institution strategy and designated the Mamelodi Campus as a faculty with a focus on community engagement with the primary goal of broadening educational pathways to post-secondary school attainment. As a conceptual shift from the community engagement literature, the Mamelodi Campus identifies the role that it plays and its relationship with the Mamelodi community as part of its "anchor" institution strategy. This paper provides an overview of how two strategic goals of the university, namely widening access and success and strengthening social responsiveness, have manifested over a decade through designating STEM access programs to a campus located in the impoverished township of Mamelodi. The anchor mission entails improvement of the access programs through incorporating the student voice, as well the improvement of the after-school programs (ASPs) by formalizing a Pre-University Academy (PUA). The PUA is a signature academic program geared towards fostering articulation between the high school initiatives, access programs, and the mainstream programs to ensure a seamless transition from secondary school to graduation. A case study methodology was followed to highlight the lessons drawn from the provision of the programs which resulted in forward and backward articulation to close the school-university gap while addressing systemic educational problems left by the legacy of apartheid. The paper further elaborates on the process followed to cement the anchor mission through the PUA as well as make recommendations to strengthen anchor institution strategy efforts in similar contexts.