This study posed some urban problems (categorized as housing, employment, and education) affecting junior colleges, and suggested how these colleges might act on the problems and whether, in fact, they were doing so. Questionnaires, interviews, and visits with faculty, administrators, and students at 21 colleges were used, and correspondence was held with universities, public officials, and others on problems of the 28 largest United States metropolitan areas. The study assumed that urban community colleges have an obligation to become agents or catalysts of social change. The newness of some urban community colleges, a deluge of student applications, lack of community response to offers of help, and lack of facilities and/or money were among the reasons the colleges gave for lack of involvement. The author felt that poor overall planning and conservative attitudes of administrators, faculty, students, and parents were also an inhibiting factor. Recommendations pertained to employing personnel for long range planning, institutional research, and other purposes, and to such matters as community oriented program planning and placement, developmental education, parent education, and use of college facilities by deprived groups. (author/ly)