The implications of the open-door admissions policy of the City Colleges of Chicago are discussed by the chancellor. Characteristics of the student population include an increasing average age of students, a majority of night students, and a large proportion of minorities, particularly Blacks and Hispanics. As a public community college system, there is a need to be sensitive to training students for public and private agencies. A major problem is that many students lack cognitive skills and self-confidence to learn. Specific problems of the City Colleges are the adequacy of the teaching staff, the reform of the general education program, admissions and exclusion standards, the attrition rate, and the need for more funds to provide support services for disadvantaged students. Many of the faculty have difficulty teaching disadvantaged students, and there is a need to work on objectives and standards of the general education program. The attrition rate is about 35 percent, with evening courses averaging about 45 percent. One approach to problems of the colleges is an experimental basic skills program for disadvantaged students that employs mastery learning techniques and special support services. (SW)