One of the great perks of academic life is travel. Conferences, exchange visits, research, and the like, often pleasant in and of themselves, and never requiring anything so crass as the signing of a sales agreement. And when you get to exalted administrative positions, the travel comes with pretty nice amenities.

Ten University of California officials, only two of them professors, at least as mentioned in this press account, arrived in Chengdu, China Friday for one of those nice—sounding junkets intended to establish nice relationships with nice universities in the brutal Leninist state.

The group will travel to Jiuzhaigou National Natural Reserve, one of China's most visited national parks.

The park is similar in terrain and hydrology to Yosemite National Park, and U.S. and Chinese researchers plan to share what they know about natural reserve management.

The UC President Robert Dynes is so exalted that his entourage includes three people "from his office." No doubt they are all expert in hydrology and natural reserve management and will make a great contribution to the management of Yosemite upon their return.

Apparently the burden of committing to a $4.5 annual spending plan on a Vice Chancellor's office and staff

"which will look at issues of equity and inclusion holistically—that is, not just students, not just staff and not just faculty, but all, all together,"

has left him with enough energy to permit intercontinental travel right at the start of a new school year, when his office is presumably at its busiest.

I wonder if he is flying coach? I would guess not. We can't know because

"UC office of the president spokesman Brad Hayward acknowledged that the trip is being paid by university funds..., but couldn't say how much."

It doesn't really matter, though. UC can always raise tuition to cover the costs, as it has been doing for many years now, at a rate that is a multiple of the general rate of inflation.

Thomas Lifson  9 02 06