"Responding to the Crisis in College Opportunity" proposes short-term emergency measures and long-term priorities for governors and legislators to consider for funding higher education during the current lean budget years. This policy statement, developed from discussions of education policy experts at Lansdowne, Virginia, finds that in 2003 in many states, reductions in higher education appropriations were larger than decreases in general fund budgets, resulting in reduced college opportunity for many students and families. "Responding to the Crisis" suggests that in 2004, the highest priority for state higher education budgets should be to protect college access and affordability for students and families.