The coming five to ten years will drop community colleges into a lot of hot water. The question is this: Will community colleges sense the danger and jump out, or will they simply try to acclimate and get cooked? The theses of this article are that: (1) current trends in the external environment of community colleges constitute such an unprecedented threat that their mission will inevitably be damaged; and (2) only radical changes by community colleges will secure a future in which their quality is sustained. Incremental, short-term responses are futile in the face of this new reality. This article offers a framework for how presidents and boards can meet the urgent need of staying true to the college's mission in the face of emerging fiscal and educational crises.