Strategic planning in British universities since 1960, during periods of both expansion and retrenchment, is reviewed. Planning approaches undertaken by the government and institutions in different economic environments are explored, along with the contribution of institutuional researchers to the planning process. Background information about the British university system and its relationship to the state is included. During the 1960 to mid-1970 period, university access and the size of the university system increased significantly. Planning was incremental and focused on meeting future student target numbers, and enrollment and course choices were important to the planning process. Student flow models and workload models for resource allocation were of concern to researchers. During the 1970s, the government continuously reduced its student number target for the 1980s. Education policy and access to college became dependent on year-by-year public expenditures. Long-term planning and strategic planning were not undertaken during the period of retrenchment; however, greater emphasis was placed on identifying quality and institutional strengths using performance indicators and portfolio analysis. (SW)