What is the role of Campus Ministry?

Bill Cork has an interesting report concerning studies done on campus ministry. Overall, I agree with Bill's assessment, particularly this:

Is [campus ministry] supported by finances, qualified and stable personnel, a diocesan-coordinated outreach, and collaboration with other diocesan offices? Or is it handed over to people who would prefer to work as "lone rangers," advancing their own agenda, with no oversight by the local bishop? The Code of Canon Law says (Can. 813):

The diocesan bishop is to have earnest pastoral care for students, even by erecting a parish or at least by designating priests stably for this, and is to make provision that at universities, even non-Catholic ones, there are Catholic university centers which give assistance, especially spiritual assistance, to youth.

As I look at this, it affirms that campus ministry is an extension of the bishop's pastoral office. Consequently, campus ministry needs to be a diocesan commitment. I think each bishop should appoint a diocesan director of campus ministry who can ensure that campus ministry truly represents the bishop's vision and is fully connected to the local Church.

As many of you know, in my archdiocese (Los Angeles), we currently have no director or diocesan office for campus ministry, which is a sad shame, in my opinion, since campus ministry should be considered part of the Church's major mission, particularly the local Church, and I thought that it was. But interestingly, some campus ministries don't want to be seen that way. What bothered me about the Newman Center I was at for almost seven years was that our Cardinal, the Pope, or any figure of authority within the Church, was often looked upon with either apathy, distrust, or plain disdain anyway. The Newman center didn't care about being a part of the local Church, an extension of the Bishop's duties. Instead, they prided themselves on how individual they were and on how far away they were from the Cathedral in Los Angeles, ground zero as it were. It was an attitude that I increasingly found difficult to digest, among other things, so I eventually felt called to leave and join a nearby parish staffed by diocesan priests! I still lead the Eucharistic Adoration and Prayer Group with a friend of mine at the newman center, however, at least for a while.