The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the International City Management Association (ICMA), and other national higher education and public-interest groups met in a series of national and regional meetings in a cooperative planning effort to improve academic public service. On a national level, it was agreed that higher education could be more generally responsive to the needs of local government for training, applied research, and technical assistance. Program efforts at local levels demonstrated that academic leaders had moved beyond the question of "whether" to that of "how?" to enter into effective relationships with local governments. At both levels it was agreed that bridging the "two-cultures" gap between academe and government would stimulate innovations and disseminate ideas about approaches to academic public service. Such a communication bridge would aid in the assessment of public needs and of what colleges and universities might be expected to provide. By the conclusion of the project, the national organization had determined to interact informally and to develop more formal working arrangements on the basis of specific projects that address mutual interests and needs. One such federally funded project demonstrated a network of university-local government collaborative programs on energy conservation. A list of participants is appended, along with two separate papers: "AASCU Institutions and Public Service," by Kurt Smith, and "How Colleges Can Help State Government," by Robert Spencer. (PJM)