The origins and early history of a system of regional colleges in Israel are analyzed in the context of an emerging postsecondary system, based on the work of John Meyer and others who look at the institutional side of organization. It is argued that the terms used to define legitimacy, as well as who defines it, are crucial issues in the institutionalization of educational organization, especially colleges and universities. In such organizations, symbolism is more important than efficiency, and this is especially true when there is disagreement about the identity and definition of the organizations among resource providers. For years, the assumption among kibbutz members was that studying for itself was more important than gaining credentials and degrees, although the kibbutz sent members who showed special talents in the arts or who desired specialized education to institutions of higher education. The climate was right for the establishment of regional colleges with the kibbutz, the Ministry of Education, and local authorities. Almost from the beginning the regional colleges operated both as centers for continuing education and as university extension centers. When the first regional college opened in the mid-1960s, its leadership and management came almost exclusively from the kibbutzim. Developments that led to the withdrawal of full support from the kibbutz movement are traced. The regional colleges became intertwined with five separate major organizations, each of them highly institutionalized but without a strong basis for working together. (SW)