The President, in turn, has delegated through a line authority the responsibility for the administration of the affairs of each of the three campuses to the Chancellor of each campus. It should be underscored that the three Chancellors also bear the title Vice President of the University . It is expected that the six Vice Presidents of the University shall function in a cooperative and reinforcing way, concerned not only with their specific areas of responsibility but with the total well-being of the entire University of Nebraska as a single university. In order for the Board of Regents and the responsible officers of the Board to discharge their responsibilities effectively, it is essential that greater budgetary flexibility be accorded the Board of Regents. No informed person questions the responsibility of the Governor and the Legislature to examine budget requests, to ask penetrating questions about the management of the University, to seek clarification of Regents' priorities, to determine funds available to University operations, and to require detailed reporting of expenditures.
Full accountability is a proper expectation.
Yet, to remove the right of the Board of Regents to establish University priorities, to determine those who merit rewards for performance, and to adjust the budget to meet changing needs during the course of the year is to deny the Board of Regents ability to govern effectively. For these reasons it is essential, if the University is to function properly, for the Board of Regents to be given the maximum possible budgetary flexibility consistent with proper executive and legislative overview and safeguards. There is growing evidence that one of the main causes of confusion in the administration and operation of the University of Nebraska is the current system for responding to legislative and executive requests for information. The current system has evolved on an informal basis and in a spirit of cooperation and good will. It is largely a carryover of practices from a less complicated era.