Based on several New York State studies of adult education, some conducted under Higher Education Act funding, this report is one of several on the educational needs of adults conducted in preparation for the Regents 1976 Statewide Plan for Postsecondary Education. The central argument is that the Regents' goals for postsecondary education can only be fully achieved if the lifelong learning needs of adults are met, and New York, therefore, should conceive of postsecondary education in terms of its contribution to meeting the needs of all its adult citizens through opportunities provided by formal postsecondary institutions for adult students (usually part-time students) and through such nonformal agencies as libraries, museums, media, and community organizations. Following brief assessment of educational practice with respect to the Regents goals for postsecondary education, specific recommendations are detailed for how the needs of adults can be met within the framework of each of the four goals: (1) open access for all citizens without regard to age, sex, race, creed, national origin, geographic location, or economic status; (2) quality education guaranteed through the maintenance and monitoring of appropriate standards, the assurance of academic freedom, and the acceptance of academic responsibility, (3) provision for special needs through efficient allocation of resources without regard to geographic location, and (4) a responsive system attuned to the changing needs of society, which is sufficiently flexible to adapt to those needs in a timely fashion. (JT)