The thesis of the book is that the problems community colleges face were inherent from the beginning and became more prominent because the particular vantage points from which the schools were viewed prohibited the taking of any action on the problems. Chapter one presents a portrait of what the colleges have become, establishing the governing metaphor of the book: the community college as the Wal-Mart of higher education. Chapter two presents the basic idea that this monograph uses to govern the examination of the community college systems theory. In chapter three, the conditions and events that led to the unchecked growth of the community college are examined. Chapter four discusses the academic and vocational-technical faculty, showing that a split has always been present between them and that, in truth, neither of them works in exactly the same school. Chapter five concentrates on part-time faculty, which on some campuses, outnumbers full-time. Chapter six examines the reason for teachers: students. Chapter seven looks at the administration of the schools. Finally, chapter eight attempts to put on the table a few ideas that will help us move toward solutions. From the perspective of a teacher that enjoys being part of a community college, this is a book that constructively critiques the two-year institution as it now exists. Contains 76 references. (VWC)