In 1989, the Transfer Assembly project was initiated by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) to determine the contribution of community colleges to students' progress towards baccalaureate degrees. In that year, 48 community colleges provided data on students, with transfers defined as students with no prior college experience who complete at least 12 units and begin coursework at a public, in-state four-year college or university within 4 years. In 1992, the project began seeking data from state higher education agencies and university systems, as well as from individual colleges. By 1994, 20 states and over 400 institutions were represented annually in the analysis. Over the 8 years of its existence, the Transfer Assembly has been notable in the consistency of its findings, with approximately one-fifth of community college students found to be transfers each year. In 1996, CSCC gathered data on 543,055 students at 416 colleges who had started their education in 1990, again finding that 21.8% of these students had transferred by fall 1994. The Transfer Assembly has inspired research efforts and programmatic changes at community colleges and college systems. In addition, several major newspapers have accorded recognition to the project's transfer rate. The consistency of the Transfer Assembly-derived rate and its use within the field attest to the importance of a valid and reliable indicator of student outcomes. (HAA)