This report presents findings of a survey in October 1999 of State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) members asking them to rate the importance of 27 issues and to respond to questions about change over the past five years. The first section of the report discusses the quantitative ratings of the issues and how these ratings have changed over the past decade. Respondents rated the following five issues as the most important to states: teacher preparation and professional development, workforce preparation, effectiveness and accountability, linkages between K-12 and postsecondary education, and instructional technology/distance learning. Other issues that remain high in importance include: access and diversity, financial support for higher education, and student financial aid. The report also addresses SHEEOs' changing roles and relationships, noting their increasingly important policy leadership role in the states and the greater focus on marketing and external relations. The survey instrument is appended. (CH)