With a clear focus on the needs of consumers in Montana, the task force for the Commissioner of Higher Education developed recommendations for nursing education that address access, articulation, and diversity. In its needs assessment, the task force determined that there is currently a shortage of licensed nursing personnel in Montana and that the shortage can reasonably be expected to escalate in the foreseeable future. The task force also finds that educational mobility within the state is lacking and that upwardly mobile nurses are leaving Montana to further their education. The task force reviewed a wide range of options for nursing education and developed full consensus on the plan of action as outlined in this report. The plan calls for: (1) clarity of focus on the consumer: students, employers, and patients; (2) articulation: based on a common core and sequence of nursing courses, and agreement on competencies to be demonstrated for exit from education/entry to service or further education; (3) differentiation of the work of nurses at all levels-Baccalaureate RN, Associate RN, and Licensed Practical Nurse--based on respect for all levels of nursing and on the core competencies; and (4) partnerships at a variety of levels between educational programs and between education, service, and regulation. (VWC)