The National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) publishes Dr. Chambers' annual report of state tax appropriations for operating expenses of higher education for 1976-77. The report reveals that the weighted average rate of gain for all 50 states over the preceding two fiscal years is 24 percent. The differences among geographical areas appear sharply. The trans-Mississippi area, including Alaska and Hawaii (24 states, including two of the ten most populous: California and Texas) made superior and above average gains, with only six having slightly below average gains. Nine of the states having below average gains are concentrated in the Northeast. The figures exclude appropriations for capital outlay and sums that clearly originate from sources other than state taxes. Included in the figures are sums appropriated for annual operating expenses; preallocated state tax proceeds; separate appropriations for medical centers, agriculture experiment stations and extension services, branch institutions, and regional campuses; state scholarship funds appropriated from state tax funds; and sums appropriated to statewide governing and coordinating boards. (JMF)