Fifty years ago, state policymakers and higher education officials adopted California’s Master Plan for Higher Education. This plan still largely defines policies concerning the state’s public higher education systems: the California community colleges (CCC), the California State University (CSU) system, and the University of California (UC) system. Most would agree that the Master Plan has served California and its students well for many decades. Since updating key components of the Master Plan is a crucial part of the effort to close the education skills gap, this report proposes three strategic modifications to the plan.