Community colleges are being challenged to plan ahead, and to be aware of and to anticipate the pressures of declining resources, changing student profiles and interests, and more competition for students and funds. In response to changing student characteristics, colleges must begin careful curriculum planning to provide students with transfer, occupational/technical, developmental, and community education programs to meet their needs. Another important challenge of the 1980's will be that of attracting students and retaining them. An understanding of marketing will be essential to student recruitment, just as an understanding of the roles of counseling, the library, teaching, and access to educational services is important to student retention. Assessing college operations will also be a vital activity in the 1980's, especially in the areas of presidential, board, and administrative leadership; faculty and support staff responsibilities; and communication with the community and the state government. Before the 1980's bring further reductions in resources, colleges must develop plans to allocate resources, to avoid duplication of effort, to use space effectively, to compete for needed resources, and to investigate alternative methods of financial support. A final issue for the 1980's will be an increased emphasis on accountability of the board, president, and faculty. (AYC)