1. Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to examine the priority status of institutional goals as perceived by students, faculty, and administrators in Virginia rural community colleges. The research questions were (1) What are the student, faculty, and administrator perceptions of the present ("is") priority of community college goals?; (2) What are the student, faculty, and administrator perceptions of the preferred ("should be") priority of community college goals?; and (3) What differences exist between the three reference groups between present and preferred perceptions of the priority status of goals? 2. Methods and Procedures. A questionnaire, based upon the Virginia Community College System stated goals, was developed to gather answers pertinent to the research. A random sample of 821 students and 91 faculty and all 70 administrators from six rural community colleges in Virginia responded to the questionnaire. Each respondent was asked to rate each of the 24 goals in terms of its present ("is") and preferred ("should be") importance along a continuum. Responses could vary along a five-point scale from a rating of one ("of no importance") to five ("of extremely high importance"). CONCLUSIONS 1. In general rural Virginia community college students, faculty, and administrators differed in their perceptions of the present and preferred priority status of the Educational Program and Operational Goals. Based upon this general finding, this study indicates a lack of widespread support for the priority of the institutional goals as developed by the Virginia Community College System. 2. All three reference groups indicated that nearly all of the goals should be of greater importance than they were perceived to be at the time of the study. This general finding supports the conclusion that goals are desired states which are not totally attainable. 3. To the extent that goal hiatus, as one component of Martorana and Kuhns Interactive Forces Theory accurately explains academic change, it appears that several goal priorities for the rural colleges within the Virginia Community College System are in a position to be rearranged. / ED. D.