Among the 60 or so university satellite campuses in Australia are many that are probably failing to meet the high expectations of their universities and the communities they were designed to serve. While in some cases this may be due to the demand driven system, it may also be attributable in part to the ways in which they are managed. The authors' recent research suggested that the amount of freedom satellite campuses have to direct their affairs needs to be linked to their market locations and profiles. The tendency, therefore, to control everything from the centre may have an adverse effect on satellite campus effectiveness. The authors outline management models currently in use at satellite campuses, along with their advantages and limitations, and argue that universities should pay serious attention to the issue of satellite campus management arrangements.