At the University of Houston (UH), the arrival of a new chancellor/president in 2007 resulted in a strategic environmental scan to determine areas where the university's efforts should be focused over the next ten years. Several major initiatives were launched, including one that sought to make UH a major energy university. The decision to embrace energy was a natural one given the institution's location in the "energy capital of the world." Despite considerable economic diversification since the oil bust of the 1980s, energy is still responsible for almost 50 percent of all economic activity in the greater Houston MSA. That a strategy focused on aligning with the energy industry made sense was a given; more difficult was the task of developing and implementing a strategy that produced positive benefits for the university, industry, and the community. This article describes the key elements of that strategy.