Though financial cutbacks have necessitated drastic reductions in community college services in Washington and threaten accepted beliefs about missions, such as the provision of universal educational opportunity, it is important that trustees recognize that educational trends need not necessarily become educational realities. While studies, such as that conducted by the Trustees Association of Community Colleges, have established priorities for programmatic and operational goals for the colleges as vocational education, general education, remedial preparation, an open college climate, effective management, and accountability, these should be viewed as guidelines, rather than mandates. Trustees should accept these prescriptions as a framework while attempting to ensure that all who wish to take advantage of higher education and who can benefit from it should be given the opportunity and encouragement to develop their talents. Additionally, trustees must carefully examine the purpose of their institutions and their courses and develop means of evaluating them in order to ensure that scarce resources are being used effectively. Specifically, they should determine how essential a program is, and its quality, demand, location, and cost. Finally, they should acknowledge their own role in creating a future for community colleges that is more than simply a logical outcome of existing trends. (HB)