Known for his long-standing service to the University of Missouri, Olson discusses the varied constituencies with which campus and system chief executives must deal and chronicles in detail his relationships with faculty, chancellors, board members, governors, and legislators during his years at the university. An enduring theme in the history of the University of Missouri has been the effort to develop and maintain a quality institution in the face of numerous budgetary restraints. That effort was Olson's principal preoccupation as president, and he provides great insight into the problem of achieving optimal administrative arrangements in a time of fiscal limitations.Olson describes the creation of the University of Missouri System - one of the nation's earliest multicampus systems. He discusses the forces that engendered it and the processes by which its organizational structure was developed, providing an understanding of both the advantages and disadvantages of such a system. He explains how the "mother campus" at Columbia accommodated itself to the establishment of the new urban campuses in Kansas City and St. Louis, and how the satellite campus at Rolla was elevated to the status of a full-fledged coordinate campus.James Olson's vast administrative experience makes his discussion of institutional development and management from both campus and system perspectives a valuable contribution to educational history and theory. Anyone interested in educational administration or the history of American higher education will find Serving the University of Missouri engaging and informative. Read Less