This five-section paper describes how the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system, the largest system of higher education in the state, determines what degree programs will be created, based on needs for workers in various occupations in the state. The paper begins by discussing why connecting demographic trends, learner segments, and labor market information become crucial not only in helping to decide which new program ideas to implement, but also to assist in balancing the competing demands for a regional and statewide new program development strategy. The next section of the paper describes briefly a potential new program approval process that considers a supply and demand analysis in the approval of new program ideas solicited from MnSCU institutions. By refining the supply and demand analysis described in Appendix B, a more precise estimate for the total number of additional graduates that would potentially result from implementing the new program approval process is also estimated. The last two sections provide preliminary results from the analysis, and conclusions and implications are drawn about why MnSCU in particular, but all postsecondary institutions in general, must understand how labor market information could contribute to mediating the conflicting and competing interests of stakeholders in the area of new program development strategies. MnSCU serves 225,000 students annually in credit courses and nearly 95,000 students in non-credit courses. The system includes 7 state universities and 27 community, technical, and consolidated colleges located on 53 campuses across Minnesota. (KC)