In the increasingly troubled national and international outlook--social, economic, and political--which calls for more not less knowledge and more and better professional and management skills, the deterioration of higher education in this nation can only lead to the exacerbation of chronic and acute problems and adversely affect our international position. With respect to institutions of higher learning there is a need to do a variety of things such as: (1) re-examine the role of higher education in the light of the needs of our contemporary and anticipated situation; (2) modify curricula so as to incorporate training in the saleable skills; (3) make more explicit provisions for career counseling and guidance; and, (4) recognize as passe the traditional conflict between a liberal education and training for work in favor of providing a whole person possessing both. The impact of the mass society and the role of government in the lamentable financial crisis in higher education are also discussed. Various strategies for remediation are proposed, among which are the following: the provision for more central planning of the economy as a whole, adequate and consistent funding of higher education by federal sources, and strengthening of career counseling. (Author/AM)