First mandated by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1989 (S.L. 1989; C. 752; S. 80), the Critical Success Factors report has evolved into the major accountability document for the North Carolina Community College System. This twenty first annual report on the critical success factors is the result of a process undertaken to streamline and simplify accountability reporting by the community college system. The purpose of this report is twofold. First, this document is the means by which the community college system reports on performance measures, referred to as core indicators of success, for purposes of accountability and performance funding. Second, this document serves as an evaluation instrument for the System Strategic Plan.