In an effort to provide decision makers with a current and future picture of the nation's community colleges, a survey was conducted to gather the perceptions of administrators nationwide regarding current status and trends. The survey instrument contained five separate questionnaires, directed to the college officers responsible for research and planning, academic affairs, financial aid, business affairs, and the office of the president. The questionnaire was mailed to 235 college presidents in October 1987, resulting in a final sample of 129 surveys from technical junior and community colleges in 38 states. Study findings included the following: (1) 36% of the sample institutions enrolled fewer than 1,000 students, while 38.8% enrolled between 1,000 and 4,999; (2) for the research and planning sub-questionnaire, 63% of respondents typified the economic climate to be poor, while over 75% of the sample forecast positive changes in their economic climates due to increasing tax bases and diversified economic bases; (3) other shifts identified by planners included increases in older students, minority students, female students, and part-time students; (4) 28.5% of responding business officers believed that the relative contributions or mix of funding sources would change; and (5) responding college presidents echoed the shifts identified by planners, while 69% gave their institution a rating of 8, 9, or 10 out of 10 in terms of adaptability. Contains data tables and responses to open-ended questions. (KP)