Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for a public university the size of Minnesota's is the ability to respond quickly when needs or opportunities arise.
Timing can be everything.
Without the wherewithal to react quickly and effectively, valuable opportunities are often lost. The leadership of any organization needs both the flexibility and the funding for making critical and timely strategic investments. In the past, discretionary or unrestricted funding has had a dramatic impact on the quality of University colleges and programs. In the 1960s, the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science invested unrestricted funding it received in students and faculty. Top graduate students were recruited and given financial support for their first year, without a teaching requirement.