I've been able to get first-class tickets paid for by others to travel to places like Jakarta or Yerevan, and I can tell you they never cost me this much.

Until the new report, no detailed accounting had been done of the [American University President Ben] Ladners' spending, even as bills came in for first-class tickets for overseas trips, a waterfall for the back yard of the president's house and chauffeurs spending much of their time running errands for his wife to jewelers, salons and dry cleaners.

"It galls me to learn that Ben incurred a travel expense for himself alone to Nigeria of $22,345," trustee Paul M. Wolff, a senior partner in the Williams & Connolly law firm in Washington, wrote in a letter sent to board members Tuesday. "Had he bought a business elite ticket, the savings would have covered a student's tuition for one semester." Tuition this year is close to $28,000.

University Diaries has wall-to-wall coverage of this debacle, with inside details. Go and scroll; there are too many to enumerate.