"[A]s California grapples with one of the worst financial crises in its history, the master plan [for higher education] faces criticism that it is irrelevant to the needs and means of the state. Many scholars and college leaders argue that the hallowed document that has served the state so well for decades needs to be rewritten," The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. "By any measure, California's colleges are still some of the most diverse and highest-quality public institutions in the country. But Mr. Callan and others point to indications that the state's higher-education system, once the gold standard for institutions from community colleges to research universities across the country, is having trouble adapting to California's changing needs. Compared with other states, California's educational capital is declining, a phenomenon that predates the current recession."