A guide for institutions and the sectors of postsecondary education in New York State is presented to assist in the preparation of 1984 master plans. Attention is directed to master plan requirements, 17 issues that need to be addressed in the master planning process, 39 tentative objectives for the 1984 plan, questions related to the tentative objectives, questions related to finance and facilities, and requests for data projections. In formulating 1984 master plans, each sector (e.g., the State University of New York), is requested to address all issues and objectives and to propose strategies or activities that are appropriate for sector-wide action. Each independent and proprietary degree-granting institution is requested to address each objective that is pertinent to its mission, as well as to propose additional objectives and courses of action to achieve the objectives. The issues and objectives pertain to the overall goals of excellence, access, diversity, and effective use of resources. The forms and instructions for reporting institutional or sector data projections are included, and data from previous master plans are presented including statistics on college programs, degrees, enrollments, full- and part-time faculty, revenues and expenditures, facilities costs, student charges and financial aid. (SW)