Two position papers on higher education in Massachusetts in the 1980s, which were prepared by the Alden Seminar for Higher Education, are presented. In addition, an overview of the Alden Seminar meeting (Boston, Massachusetts, October 1983), which examined proposals for a Higher Education Development Corporation, is included. In "Adjusting to the Eighties: A Proposal for Assisting Higher Education in New England," Stephen R. Lewis, Jr. and Michael S. McPherson propose that a new organization be formed that would provide analytical and planning assistance to higher education in the New England region. Operations of the organization are discussed, including governance, criteria for assisting institutions, types of assistance to institutions, sources of technical assistance, sources of finance, and the relation to public and private institutions. Comments by Jill K. Conway in support of a Development Corporation for Higher Education in Massachusetts are included. Dorothy N. Marshall and Franklin Patterson's position paper, "A Massachusetts Higher Education Development Corporation: A First Step," provides an overview of the proposed corporation. The corporation would assist higher education in Massachusetts to adapt to the changing circumstances of the next decade. Brief biographies of Alden Seminar participants are appended. (SW)