Virginia faces a future in which higher education will play an increasingly important role. Virginians will need deeper and broader knowledge and skills to be engaged, productive participants in the evolving Commonwealth and its economy. At the same time, the demographics of the emerging generation are changing, as an increasing share of youth will come from populations that historically have been underrepresented in both higher education and the highly educated sectors of the workforce. These changes transpire at a time when the cost of attending college has increased beyond the capacity of many Virginians. The Virginia Plan for Higher Education is designed to identify trends that the Commonwealth must address if it is to prosper and succeed. Through input by higher-education partners, The Virginia Plan is intended to help guide a vision for Virginia's future through a common framework. This framework is built on the premise that all partners in higher education must work together to help Virginia, its citizens and its regions. [For the report from the previous year, "The Virginia Plan for Higher Education: Annual Report for 2016 to the General Assembly of Virginia," see ED572957.]