A study was undertaken of the patterns of governance and coordination of higher education in six states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, and New Jersey. The purpose of the study was to develop an overview of the variety of methods used and to draw analyses of commonalities and differences among them. While the trend has been toward coordination of some type at the state level, the individual states reflect a continuum of levels and degrees of control, from an advisory agency to a governing superboard with systemwide policymaking powers. A primary commonality is the degree to which state boards are representative of the general public. The legal origin of the boards may affect their permanence the governmental relationships, but their responsibility regarding budgets is similar. The boards studied have varying relationships with the two-year colleges and are of widely varying sizes. Not all state boards are also 1202 Commissions. It is concluded that the twentieth-century phenomenon of governance and coordination does not follow any definite, common pattern of organization, structure, or function. Rather, each state has evolved a system reflecting the education, political, and economic climate of the state. (MSE)