This document contains the substance of three lectures delivered at Memphis State University in June 1970. It should be of interest to recent high school graduates, their parents, and other laymen interested in American higher education. The first lecture discusses the history of the community college movement and the changes in popular attitudes toward education. The second lecture proposes methods of creating an academic community on a commuter campus and reviews the historical development of the liberal arts, technical, and adult education functions of the modern community college. The third, lecture discusses the relationship between community colleges and state governments and notes the various methods by which community colleges are governed and financed; the author contends that local tax support is essential. (DC)