The influence of the concept of organizational culture on computer use by colleges and universities is discussed, and five case studies of anonymous northeast colleges are presented. Attention is directed to the extent and nature of the connections between computer use and organizational factors, both structural and cultural. Structural influences on academic computer use included personnel, facilities, and allocation policy. In addition, three manifestations of culture (saga, history, and symbols) influenced how each institution used and managed computing for research and instruction. Saga is an indication of the institution's values, ideology, and beliefs. Of particular interest was the history of computing at each school and the identification of key individuals. Finally, since symbols identify what is important to individuals and how they view their ideology, symbols can demonstrate the importance placed on computing at the school. Each of the institutions had a distinct mission and culture that affected cumputer use. For each college, information is presented on eight institutional characteristics, characteristics of computer personnel and facilities, the computer allocation policy, and characteristics of computer use. (SW)