The value systems of faculty at three junior colleges in California (each representing an urban, rural, or suburban character) are compared, and the institutional personality of each college is described in terms of the perceptions held by its instructors. The specific purposes of this study are to: (1) identify the values held by 238 staff members at these three colleges; (2) identify institutional contrasts in value ranking patterns; (3) determine staff members views of the junior college environment and their roles in it; and (4) determine the relationship between their values and their perceptions of junior college purposes and functions. This study is considered only a pilot study, but it revealed that institutional personalities of junior colleges are created by the value orientations of their staff and that the perceptions and values of staff can determine whether an institution succeeds or fails in achieving its objectives. (CA)