Perspectives on postsecondary education planning at the state level are presented. Statewide planning in higher education emerged as a result of the large number of college students occurring after World War II. The important contribution of planning in the 1960's was to expand the physical plant; in the 1970's planning became a little more sophisticated. Directions in the 1970's included the role and scope of institutions, innovative procedures and approaches, bringing health-related professions out of the noncollegiate and into the collegiate sector, and adjustment to a new student clientele and a new way of financing higher education. Most planners in higher education agree that there will be a reduction in full-time students beginning in the early 1980's. The uncertain nature of the student population makes higher education planning a much more important function than it has ever been before. Elements of a five-year planning model would include: student enrollments and projections, educational programs, requirements for faculty and staff, and higher education financing. There can be no real state-level planning without real institutional planning and adequate processes and involvement. It will be important to explore various state level planning models and approaches, including the (1) higher education management model, the (2) student access model, and the (3) budget incentive model, or a combination of the three. Nine policy implications for state higher education systems are noted, including state-level decision-making regarding closing a public institution. (SW)