Why is it not apples-to-apples to compare an urban public college or university to a traditional public college or university? Urban institutions usually serve non-traditional students in a non-traditional setting and face many unique challenges. For example, state benchmarks and funding formulas that work for a more traditional campus, do not always work well for an urban institution. National rankings do not capture the character of the urbans. Many urban institutions are land-locked. However, these institutions are also in an ideal position to utilize the surrounding community as a living laboratory. This session will attempt to identify the most important issues facing public urban institutions and arrive at some suggestions for dealing with these issues.