Business and higher education are two different worlds with different missions, values and priorities. Privatized student housing partnerships have brought these two worlds together with little information on how they work and the challenges they face. Research indicated that through collaboration, skilled leadership and an understanding of students, healthy relationships could exist. The purpose of this study was to provide awareness of these existing partnerships and the current perceptions from leaders from both higher education and business working within present collaborations. It sought to uncover and bring awareness to the challenges experienced in order to create a dialogue around them. Feedback obtained from 30 professionals working within public-private partnerships from both the business and higher education worlds provided insight into existing perceptions and challenges. Semi-structured interviews where utilized and customized using eight open-ended questions that were different for each group. A purposeful sampling approach was used to select the participants based on their existing partnership with a privatized student housing company. Out of the thirty participants, twenty were chief officers within higher education and ten business officers. Analysis of the thirty interviews depicted three major themes: the two worlds: business and higher education, the bridge: leader of the village and the resident: customer and student. Results showed that collaboration and leadership changes can make or break the partnership. It highlighted the diversity in values and concerns of higher education institutions and reinforced the importance they place on student development and retention.