It is largely a carryover of practices from a less complicated era. That is, more and more often campus officers find themselves in direct official contact with the executive and legislative branches of government. On the face of it, this seems to many to be the simplest and most convenient way to function. However, this practice often results in subsequent confusion and misunderstanding, particularly when Central Administration and a campus administrator answer similar questions differently. Similar questions asked in different contexts at different times of different officers, who have different duties and either more or less comprehensive data, can understandably produce different answers.
Confusion is inevitable.
In order to minimize this communications hazard and in the interest of orderly procedures, it is important for the University to develop an understanding with government officers whereby their questions are brought to the Central Administration for response or delegation to the campuses and, similarly, that information from the campuses to the executive and legislative branches is processed through appropriate officers of the Central Administration. In view of our experience of eight years as a multi-campus university, in order to clarify administrative procedures and in the interests of a more orderly and effective functioning of the University of Nebraska, I shall issue additional Executive Memoranda from time to time. Return to the Executive Memoranda page .