During a period of projected declining enrollments some years ago, colleges and universities began looking to business and industry for models and methods to achieve stability and exhibit accountability. Zero-based budgeting, computerized record keeping, and planned-programmed-budgeting systems found their way to college campuses. A trend to import key collegiate administrators from business rather than letting them rise through the ranks of faculty began, and there is now widespread evidence of marketing and its tendency to regard the university as a complex science industry in need of modern management techniques. Because the traditional 18- to 22-year-old student population is decreasing, colleges are seeking ways to bolster enrollments and embrace the concept of marketing. The meanings of marketing and nonprofit organizations (such as universities) are discussed. Topics of discussion include higher education and the world of nonprofit organizations, marketing and its application to nonprofit organizations, limitations of marketing, and the uses of marketing in higher education. A change in "people mix" represents a new challenge within the marketing environment for colleges and universities with a surge in 25- to 44-year-olds. Attention must be directed to the older, nontraditional age groups if higher education wishes to maintain a pattern of growth. Even through adults are coming back to campuses in larger and larger numbers, many are still finding other environments for learning more compatible with their needs. Therefore, new and flexible tools for creative marketing are needed. Contains 10 references. (SM)