In spring 1984, Riverside Community College (RCC) initiated a strategic planning process designed to draw a larger proportion of the college community into institutional planning. In the first meetings of the President's Strategic Planning Advisory Committee (PSPAC), 58 faculty, managers and support staff gathered to address questions concerning the college's mission, goals, and programs. The Committee met each Friday afternoon to discuss case studies of successful and unsuccessful businesses. The presentations made by the college president and other members of the committee served as exemplars of good teaching. Between the large group meetings, smaller groups met to review the discussion questions on the week's case study or current topic. The discussion groups were expected to look at ideas from every possible angle, but not to produce any product; instead, action groups made up of representatives of the discussion groups were formed to come up with such products as a list of the five things the college does best, or needs to do. Despite early resistance to the adoption of a business mentality, gradually newly learned business and marketing principles were applied to the college. The final outcome of the first PSPAC meetings was a series of statements about RCC's "business," vision, and values. Since 1984, there have been other PSPAC's to address other concerns. Though not all outcomes have been positive, the potential rewards of the process far outweigh the risks. (AJL)