As of July 15, 1966, 7.2% of all faculty positions in the California State College system were not filled (a total of 582.3 positions). A year later, on July 15, 1967, the number of unfilled positions reached 661 or 7.7% of all authorized positions in the system. To make matters worse, a freeze on all jobs was in effect for employees of the State, including academic positions, for 3 months during 1967. At the last minute, the ban on hiring for academic positions was lifted after an announcement was made that formal restrictions on the numbers of students who could be accepted for the 1967-68 school year had been devised because of a lack of professors. Somehow, by September 1967, most of the faculty vacancies had been filled. This study was designed to answer questions surrounding this issue. Included in the objectives of the study were: (1) From what sources and by what means did the colleges secure large numbers of faculty at the last minute? (2) What are the characteristics of those who were appointed, in terms of academic preparation, previous experience, and other qualifications, and what patterns exist given the nature of these characteristics and the period in which the individual was appointed? (3) On the academic departmental level, what are seen as the principal factors affecting their ability to secure qualified new faculty members? (HS)