The purpose of this study is to describe the perceptions held by selected community leaders about the role of the community college and the community college president in connecting with and serving the needs of the community. These leaders' perceptions and views are compared to the documented missions of the colleges selected for study. Six rural community colleges and their service areas in three southern states were randomly selected, and twenty-eight community leaders from the colleges' service areas were interviewed for this study. Open systems theory of organizations (Katz & Kahn, 1966) and the community-based programming model for community colleges (Boone and Associates, 1997) serve as the conceptual framework for this research. The findings of this study could prove beneficial to community college presidents and boards of trustees in developing the mission of the college to meet the needs of the community and in building partnerships and relationships with community leaders to enhance advocacy efforts for the college. The findings indicated that the community leaders selected for this study perceive that (1) the community college contributes to the quality of life of the community, (2) the primary role of the community college is to support economic development, (3) making educational programs accessible is an expectation of community leaders, (4) the college should provide the two-year terminal degree in technical areas and the first two years for college transfer, (5) the role of the community college in the community is consistent and congruent with the major tenets of the documented missions of the selected colleges, (6) the college should be a team member with other community-based organizations in resolving critical community issues, (7) the community college president should be visible and involved in the affairs of the community, and (8) the community college president should be a community leader and serve in a variety of leadership roles in the community. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]