Institutions of higher education, specifically community colleges, are facing increased accountability and competition, declining resources and enrollments, and unprecedented consumerism. However, according to the services marketing and satisfaction literatures, it is difficult to identify which factors lead to satisfaction. Of significance is that satisfaction measures should come directly from customers. This paper, which includes a review of literature, details a study of consumer satisfaction, drawn from surveys answered by Oregon Community College students in 1994 and 1996. The survey, conducted to identify which factors and educational experiences affect overall/global satisfaction, queried respondents on six independent variables: college services or programs, academic environment, admissions and registration environment, rules and policies environment, facilities environment, racial harmony, and general environment. The dependent variable used was the students' satisfaction with their college experience as a whole, or their "global satisfaction." Results indicated that the average satisfaction rating for various aspects of the institution exhibited a high degree of stability, and that academic environment was the most influential variable affecting global satisfaction. (Contains 37 references.) (EMH)