This digest compares long range planning with strategic planning in the community college, focusing on examples of colleges' strategic planning processes and on the future of strategic planning. Long range planning tends to be static, focusing on developing a plan based on what has already happened, while strategic planning emphasizes process over product, focusing on long-range thinking rather than a long-range plan, exploiting new and different opportunities as they emerge. Strategic planning starts with environmental scanning, a process of studying the external environment via newspapers, literature and periodicals for emerging issues that pose threats or opportunities to an institution. Evaluation of these issues is followed by trend forecasting, goal setting, and implementation and monitoring of results. The strategic planning process of the future will require a new organizational culture--one with decentralized decision making, collaborative governance, structure and systems aligned with institutional values and goals, and the ability to thrive on chaos. Contains 13 references. (PGS)