State regulation of postsecondary education institutions has been ever-increasing; this leads to greater efficiency in education and acts to stabilize the educational system in the state in such a way that system-wide problems and difficulties are handled in an orderly and routine fashion. This study reviews state regulation of community colleges in Illinois and explores the question of whether or not greater statewide control and coordination is desirable. It discusses the beginnings of the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), both of which oversee the community colleges. It presents the objectives of these two boards as set forth by the legislature and reviews the methods by which board objectives are related to board activities and policy decisions. It also reviews the control and coordinating functions of these boards, notes how many of the recurring community college issues (financing, local college autonomy, program duplication, system fragmentation, and articulation) have become political issues, and examines what these boards spend most of their time doing. Results indicate that the IBHE and the ICCB spend much more time in coordinating than in controlling the community college system, and that the state legislature still has the most power to determine the fate of Illinois education. (DC)