The efforts of Vassar College and Cornell University in their early years (1865-1890) to manage problems presented by underprepared students are described. Based on archival materials, registers, institutional publications, and histories, attention is directed to the perceptions of administrators, faculty, students, and alumni concerning academic inadequacy. The way each institution tried to create and project its public image is considered, along with the internal discourse of each institution in relation to academic quality. In addition to reviewing perceptions of institutional image, the rhetoric and reality of academic excellence involved in institutional image building are addressed. For example, the images set forth in catalogs as well as the policies enacted by faculty and administrators are described. Also considered are institutional strategies developed to manage the institution's image by controlling academic deficiencies among students and by limiting instruction in subcollegiate areas. While Vassar reorganized its curriculum and provided needed preparatory studies, Cornell did not offer preparatory studies but dealt with academically deficient students on a case by case basis. Both colleges expanded educational opportunities to a broader base of students than had previously been served. (SW)