By the fall of 1988, the population of high school graduates had begun to plummet. Six more years of demographic famine were ahead, with a slow recovery to follow. The pressure on higher education leaders grew as enrollments declined. Budgets were slashed. Forecasts of mass college failures were common. The need for strategic planning--as described in George Keller's seminal work, "Academic Strategy: The Management Revolution in American Higher Education" (1983)--began to be recognized. Three questions come to mind as the author ponders the similarities and differences between former and current challenges. Will past strategies and tactics designed to broaden participation in higher education serve educators in the future? Can they count on the economic and demographic conditions that enabled success then to support their efforts now? If not, how will educators find a pathway forward?The author presents a list of the capacities educators have that they can use to go beyond the tactical to a deeper understanding of what they can do to deal with the current dilemmas.