Public higher education stands as one of the true success stories in our nation's history. It is a story of transformation-for students, main streets, communities, and states-from the Industrial Age to the Space Age and now to the Information Age. For nearly a century and a half, the American people have looked to state colleges and universities-their colleges and universities-with hope and expectation. To meet those expectations and fulfill its promises of broad access for students and partnerships for the public good, the public's universities must renew an unwritten but essential contract. That contract commits institutions to working for the common good through education and innovation in exchange for public support and guidance, and has lasted through some of the nation?s most trying times. It has become frayed with age, though, and must be updated and reinforced so that state colleges and universities are fully prepared to lead amid the economic, demographic, and social change that is unfolding around. Hence the work of this commission. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) charged this group with identifying the core commitments of the public's universities, and how they might be renewed to meet current and future challenges. The aim was not to issue sweeping or revolutionary statements, but candid assessments of realities and pragmatic approaches for campus, system, and elected leaders to address them.