This report provides results of a 1981 assessment of the condition of South Carolina's higher education facilities and presents recommended actions. It is noted that at a national level, the nation's colleges and universities have slowly begun to realize that the condition of their physical facilities is declining, a fact that prompted South Carolina in 1979 to work towards bringing all its own higher education buildings up to a satisfactory standard. Study findings include: a lack of accurate and usable information on facilities at the State level; a considerable number of buildings that are now reaching the end of their useful life cycles for major building components such as roofs and mechanical systems; and a chronic shortage of funding during the 1980s for State colleges and universities. Overall, the report: (1) reveals the need for the State to improve its ability to track maintenance needs at its colleges and universities; (2) suggests that the State must begin recognizing the importance of the deferred maintenance crisis and accept the reality that its colleges and universities do not have the capacity to catch up without extraordinary funding; and (3) indicates that the institutions must be held accountable for stopping the growth of deferred maintenance. Conclusions and recommendations are provided. (GLR)