While state policy leadership for higher education is not universally recognized as a profession, either within states or within higher education, the profession has existed in the United States for more than half a century. Moreover, its essential work is now practiced in other countries all over the world. This essay will briefly consider how the profession emerged in the U.S., how it has evolved over the past half century, and the future implications of changing and growing demands for educational attainment. While the United States may have been the first country to develop this profession, every developed and developing country is now grappling with policy and educational issues involved in its work. Appended are: (1) Enrollment Trends in American Higher Education and Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP 1954 to 2010; (2) A Brief Excerpt from "Basic Conclusions and Recommendations of the President's Commission on Higher Education" John Dale Russell, 1949; and (3) A Capsule History of SHEEO as a Professional Association. (Contains 8 sources.)