A study was conducted of the relatively small group of community college presidents who have been in their current position for 10 years or longer. The study focused on the fit of the president to the institution, the presidents' vision, the planning process, and style issues such as leadership, delegation, consensus building, and decision making. Study findings, based on profiles developed of specific college presidents who have successfully lead their institutions for a long period, included the following: (1) during the presidential selection process, the search committee and the board of trustees had very specific ideas of what they wanted in a president, and afterwards showed a great commitment to helping the president succeed; (2) the long-term presidents tended to have a vision of their institution based on deep knowledge of its traditions and dreams, and a sense of what it can accomplish; (3) the presidents were constantly promoting new ways to better achieve the mission of the institution and often involved in long-term or strategic planning; (4) the presidents stressed how much responsibility they delegated for day-to-day activities and took pride in others' accomplishments; (5) the presidents were innovative and not bound to the status quo; (6) the presidents possessed an entrepreneurial spirit and encouraged it in others; (7) the presidents worked closely with board chairs; and (8) decisions were made at the appropriate level. (AC)