Trends in higher education are sketched with attention directed to the role of the humanities and the community college sector. In light of declining enrollments, financial problems, and other bleak projections, it is suggested that fostering diversity is needed for continued vitality and productivity. Four areas of diversity of concern are: the composition of student bodies, variants in curriculum, new and creative teaching and learning styles, and a discerning difference between institutions. While the traditional age group of undergraduates is expected to decline, diverse student bodies of the elderly, minorities, and veterans may be recruited. In regard to diversity of curricula, it is suggested that core curriculum should be essential curricula and that careerism need not replace the humanities. Both types of programs can coexist. The need for planning and program evaluation from a highly content-oriented type of instruction to that which encompasses both content and process is also addressed. (SW)