America's regional comprehensive public institutions of higher education serve a unique role as the portal through which so many of the students and much of the nation's future workforce gain the skills needed to face the economic challenges of the 21st century. In support of the critical role that its members play in the development of their respective communities and the United States as a whole, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) updates and publishes this "Public Policy Agenda" ("PPA") on an annual basis. The "PPA" is intended to serve two substantive goals before multiple audiences. The first purpose of the "PPA" is to outline the affirmative policy preferences of the AASCU membership--the policies that are viewed as most beneficial to students at Regional Comprehensive Universities (RCUs) and to the nation--as articulated by the association's policy development body, the Council of State Representatives (CSR). AASCU's affirmative policy agenda defines the work of its government relations division before Congress and the administration. The second function of the "PPA" is to provide a framework to guide the association in responding to unanticipated policy and political developments. The fundamental principles articulated in this document about AASCU membership's policy priorities help the association securely navigate its way through day-to-day political developments and allow it to react quickly to policy proposals from various quarters.