Current data on enrollment, degrees conferred, academic programs, finances, student financial assistance, and capital facilities in Connecticut higher education institutions are summarized, and significant policy issues that the state must address on both a short-term and long-range basis are examined. Findings from the Board of Higher Education staff research and specific policy concerns for each area are reviewed. Additionally, major issues facing higher education are noted as follows: enrollment shifts and anticipated declines in some institutions; accelerated competition among institutions; increasing costs to the state and students and limited resources; maintenance of quality in, and access to, programs; and the provision of an adequate and equitable funding base. Among the planned actions of the Board of Higher Education are the following: development of a long-range plan for providing needed educational programs for Connecticut citizens; review and approval of proposed institutional role and scope statements; development of a budgeting process that is sensitive to institutional roles, changing enrollments, student needs, and the state's fiscal environment; development of a program review process for both existing and new programs; and development of indicators of institutional vitality and strategies for addressing needed change. Enrollment data include headcount and full-time-equivalent for the state and by sectors, minority enrollment, and undergraduate projections to 1990. Data are also presented on tuition and required fees for in-state undergraduates for selected institutions in the northeast United States, federal student aid allocations for Connecticut by year since 1977, and capital projects. (SW)