Institutional vitality in higher education and measures of vitality are considered. Vitality may be viewed as the capacity of a college or university to incorporate organizational strategies that support the continuing investment of energy by faculty and staff both in their own careers and in the realization of the institution's mission. Institutional vitality in the 1980s must be understood in relation to the organizational consequences of both steady-state and decline. Organizational theories, institutional histories, and biographies of important academicians are cited that may illuminate the issue of vitality. An important idea pertaining to institutional vitality is Kanter's (1979) view of opportunity structure. Kanter argues that when times are not prosperous, the institution must pay attention to its quality as an organization. Kanter addresses ways in which opportunity and power related to jobs and organizations are critical to motivation and leadership effectiveness. Peterson's (1980) emphasis on faculty response to decline and the ability of individuals in the organizations to lead effective professional lives leads to an emerging literature on faculty careers, including Rice's (1980) investigation of the professorial careers of former Danforth fellows, and Furniss's (1981) challenge to the "one life-one career" model. Indicators and scales for measuring vitality include: the Institutional Functioning Inventory (Peterson et al., 1970), Likert's Organizational Survey Profile (1976), the International Communication Association's Communication Audit, and Scott's (1980) institutional indicators. (SW)