Faced with large and continued cuts in state funding, U.S. public postsecondary institutions are looking for new ways to both communicate their needs and garner support. They are calling on longtime supporters, enlisting new allies, developing strategic alliances, and crafting new messages and campaigns--all to underscore the importance of higher education. The exact government relations approach varies from institution to institution. Some are using mass e-mails to ask alumni to bombard state legislators with letters and calls. Others are fine-tuning their advocacy efforts by identifying and seeking help from politically active alumni with close ties to key legislators. In seeking public support, many colleges and universities have deliberately shied away from publicizing the budget, preferring to emphasize their institution's value. No matter what strategy an institution adopts, the underlying message is virtually the same: Publicly supported higher education is key to reviving the economy. Virtually every public college and university is taking stock of how its constituencies can help blunt budget cuts, and the strategies are as different as the institutions themselves. But the fight is the same.