In an effort to identify characteristics of effective college composition programs, an examination was made of 19 campuses of the California State University. Each English department chair was sent a "fact sheet" requesting program information on such matters as the use of placement test scores, sequence of and prerequisites for lower division writing courses, course staffing, and common course exams, syllabi, texts, or assignments. On a subsample of 10 campuses, interviews were conducted with academic vice presidents, deans, directors of learning centers, English department chairs, composition program coordinators, and remedial program coordinators. Findings revealed several needs, among them (1) program goals that describe student gains from composition coursework; (2) evaluation, retraining, or monitoring of tenured faculty; (3) formal efforts at faculty development; and (4) a commonality provided by the midterm or final exam among course sections taught by the different instructors. (HOD)