Four papers address the changing roles of system administrators in multicampus public higher education systems such as the State University of New York (SUNY). In the first paper, by Joseph C. Burke, "Unity and Diversity: SUNY's Challenge Not Its Choice," the role of a public university system is defined as doing for its campuses only those functions that no single campus can, should, or would do: leading, allocating, advocating, protecting, evaluating, and (technological) linking. In the second paper, "What SUNY Should Do: Promote General Strength by Supporting Individual Strengths," (William R. Greiner) the system is asked to support individuality and diversity of the campuses, and individual campuses are told to direct efforts externally rather than wasting energy competing with each other. (A mission statement is appended to this paper.) Next, in "What Should the System Do? What Should the Campuses Do? One Trustee's View," (by Roderick G. W. Chu) the system is seen as a stewardship, focused mainly on the public served by the system. A new vision of excellence is envisioned, with each unit of the system defining its unique role. The fourth paper, by James R. Chen, is "System or Not? Governance and Faculty Voice at SUNY." This paper takes a critical look at the effects of decentralization in the neighboring state of New Jersey and, pointing to the successes of the SUNY system, argues instead for a strong federation that incorporates campus integrity and system leadership, plus increased flexibility. (CH)