The first of two assumptions underlying the thesis of this paper is that, in the face of escalating costs, uneven demographics, faltering revenues, and a serious erosion of public confidence, United States higher education must become more productive. Universities and colleges of all types must produce demonstrably more education, research, and training for the resources requested from students, parents, and taxpayers. Increasing productivity is an imperative of every important sector of the economy and consequently the need for higher productivity is compelling. The second assumption is that productivity advance cannot be achieved wholly or even primarily through the traditional approach of reducing or cheapening the inputs--mainly faculty and staff--while defining enrollment as the "output" and holding it constant or forcing it to increase. From these two assumptions follows the central thesis of this paper: that significant and sustainable productivity advances in higher education must be achieved through greater attention to the learner. Learning productivity relates the input of faculty and staff, not to enrollments or to courses taught or to credit or classroom hours but to the demonstrated mastery of a defined body of knowledge or skills. Learning productivity can be increased through greater institutional efficiency, measures that lead to more learning from students, individually paced mastery learning, application of appropriate educational technology, emphasis on students focusing their studies sooner, year-round study, opening college doors to younger students, and beginning graduate and professional education at an earlier age. Includes 20 reference notes. (JB)