Societal and educational pressures that are likely to affect postsecondary education personnel during the 1980's are discussed. These pressures include the declining number of 18- to 22-year-old students, changes in mandatory retirement policy, affirmative action, a continuing high rate of inflation, and uncertainty regarding taxpayer and donor support for postsecondary education. The strengths and weakness of several approaches to data collection are assessed using the following criteria: institutional burden, taxpayer cost, timeliness of data, and data quality. It is recommended that surveys like the Higher Education General Information Survey of postsecondary education personnel be continued and strengthened, with timely data reporting. A second approach to future data collection, longitudinal analysis of cohorts of faculty and nonfaculty personnel, is also proposed. These cohorts would be followed up on a 4-year cycle with the thrust of each survey varying somewhat from year to year. A third recommended approach would involve a series of one-time surveys on timely topics with quick turnaround time. The American Council on Education's Higher Education Panel is proposed as a model, and other data collection efforts are described briefly. A list of specific data elements for each approach is included. (SW)