Community colleges are recognized today as critical links between high schools and four-year colleges. This paper presents a research model for understanding the transfer function and transfer performance at the level of the college. The model discusses the community college in terms of its capacity for institutionalizing functions and its overall functional effectiveness in adapting to environmental conditions. The model posits that effective levels of transfer function institutionalization and institutional adaptability relate to high transfer performance. Sixty community colleges will be assessed for the extent to which certain environmental elements influence their transfer performance. The assessment will evaluate such external environmental elements as proximity of senior institutions and local economic conditions, and such institutional elements as percentage of full-time students and tuition and fees. Second, 6 of the 60 colleges with high and low transfer rates will be compared by the way they have institutionalized the transfer functions through their organizational climates and adaptive capacities. By using an organized approach in intitutional transfer research, investigators will be able to identify critical variables affecting transfer effectiveness and can monitor changes in these variables over time. (38 references) (JDD)