Perspectives on higher education and its leadership are offered by the president emeritus of the University of California. Six impressions concerning higher education are considered, based on about 800 interviews conducted by a presidential leadership commission sponsored by the Association of Governing Boards. In addition to the perception that leadership in colleges has deteriorated, large variations in the leadership and quality of different types of institutions, as well as the tone of campuses, are apparent. A great burden of uncertainty is apparent at U.S. campuses, with concern directed to enrollment and financial support. On the college campus, there appears among students a new emphasis upon individual economic advancement through concentration on vocational subjects. This shift toward vocational programs leading to a job greatly influences the faculties and the administration and resources of campuses. In addition, even in relatively small institutions, there is much less of a sense of community then in the past. The final impression is the sense of a lack of mission in American higher education. Rather than having a mission, most colleges and universities seemed to be focused on institutional survival. (SW)