Community college planners must be futurists, projecting institutional and program enrollments and funding from tuition and state sources. Yet it is increasingly difficult to make accurate projections even for one year, when factors do not operate as they have in the past. Nevertheless, new trends in people, programs, finances, and facilities can be identified. Trends which concern people include an increasing proportion of older students with career-orientations and interest in high technology programs. Staffing is influenced by inflation; colleges cannot compete with business for new technical faculty, and current faculty can be granted only minimum salary increases, causing many to leave education. In addition, the trustee's role is becoming less pleasurable, and fewer good people want to invest their time. Program trends point to demands for high technology and business administration courses and adult basic education. In finances, inflation may cause schools to short-change their students, as initiatives to alter outdated local tax rates are defeated and state and federal funding curtailed. Trends in facilities indicate more maintenance and modification requirements due to building age and energy costs. Coping with these trends requires reminding the public of the need for postsecondary education, especially at the associate degree level, so that the dream of adequately funded community colleges meeting the needs of a varied student body can persist. (KL)