The Politics of Travel: Who Should Stay Home?

As you might expect, we at SCUP are absolutely certain that you and your campus will benefit tremendously from your attendance at higher education's premier planning conference in 2009 - SCUP-44 in Portland, OR, July 18-22. That's why we read with great interest this item from an anonymous vice president for government relations from a university in the midwest. Our favorite line is "My institution has nearly an annual budget of $700-million. Our travel budget is — well, no one knows." More:

There is little in the intricate world of a university that seems simpler than banning travel. The university would simply stop paying for mileage, airline tickets, hotels, tips, taxi rides, meals, and spa visits. (Just kidding about the last one.) However, in truth, the way that travel expenses are paid at a university is incredibly complex.

First, athletic departments get a pass. Teams play away games and coaches go on recruiting trips. Neither of those can change. But after sports, whether a division of the university can cut back on its travel costs comes down to, well, money. Let's examine the connection between travel and money office by office.

The development office (also known as fund raising or "institutional advancement") gets the next free pass.. . . "Wait a minute," a provost might say, "what about my researchers?" . . . The provost might add: "And what about my publishing faculty?" . . . In the scheme of things, travel is a very small portion of a university budget. My institution has nearly an annual budget of $700-million. Our travel budget is — well, no one knows.