THIS STUDY OF THE STATE OFFICER RESPONSIBLE FOR EDUCATION IN THE PUBLIC JUNIOR COLLEGE WAS UNDERTAKEN BECAUSE OF THE SCARCITY OF INFORMATION ON THIS RAPIDLY GROWING POSITION AND ITS FUNCTIONS. QUESTIONNAIRES WERE SENT TO THREE GROUPS OF LEADERS IN THE FIELD. NINETY-THREE PERCENT (373) OF THE COLLEGE CHIEF ADMINISTRATORS, ALL 31 SELECTED PROFESSORS OF EDUCATION, AND ALL 24 STATE OFFICERS REPLIED. RESPONSE TO THE FOUR QUESTIONS WAS AS FOLLOWS--(1) SINCE THE POSITION WAS BEING ESTABLISHED SO RAPIDLY AND WAS STILL IN THE FORMATIVE STAGE, ITS SIGNIFICANT CHARACTERISTICS COULD NOT YET BE DEFINED, (2) THE STRUCTURAL PATTERN OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION, HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM, OR THE JUNIOR COLLEGE SYSTEM WOULD DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THE POSITION COULD ATTRACT AND HOLD CAPABLE OFFICERS, (3) THE FOCUS OF STATE-LEVEL ORGANIZATION WAS GENERALLY DIRECTED EITHER TO SUPPORTING A JUNIOR COLLEGE-HIGHER EDUCATION RELATIONSHIP OR TOWARD COORDINATION AND ARTICULATION WITH THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS, AND (4) THE CHIEF FUNCTIONS OF THIS STATE OFFICER WERE EMERGING AS GENERAL EDUCATIONAL LEADER, STATE-LEVEL SPOKESMAN, AND LEADER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF STATE JUNIOR COLLEGE PROGRAMS AND PLANS. THIS ED.D. DISSERTATION IS AVAILABLE AS DOCUMENT NO. 67-6525 FOR $3.35 (MICROFILM) OR $11.70 (XEROGRAPHIC COPY) FROM UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS, INC., P.O. BOX 1346, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 48106. (HH)