The 1991 restructuring of Massachusetts system of higher education is explained and analyzed using McLendon's "Policy Stream Model of Decentralization Agenda Setting," a revised Garbage Can model, which proves useful insofar as the case is placed in its historical context. Public higher education in Massachusetts has suffered as a "second class" citizen next to its prominent private counterparts and is often subject to the whims of politicians. The 1991 restructuring can be explained by public higher education's historical relationship with Massachusetts' state government and the political environment of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The 1991 restructuring is an intrinsically interesting historical case of governance reform given its political nature, the scope of the reform, and the possible lessons that can be gleaned from it that may inform our understanding of agenda setting for higher education governance reform and governance reform in general. (Contains 3 notes and 2 figures.)