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[Note: This material is copyright by the Des Moines Register, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of the Des Moines Register.]

The flights were provided in March, April and May by a company owned by the husband of one of the regents, Teresa Wahlert of Waukee.

"She's a busy executive," regents executive director Gary Steinke said of Wahlert, who is president of the Mid-America Group, a real estate, investment and development company in West Des Moines. "That's four hours for her on the road."

Steinke rode with Wahlert on all four flights. Regents President Michael Gartner of Des Moines flew with Wahlert twice.

Wahlert did not return a call Tuesday about the expense.

The regents' office billed the U of I $2,892 for the four private flights that were provided by Wahlert Enterprises, a Waukee flight service owned by Wahlert's husband, Howard.

State government administrative rules require the regents to approve vendors with potential conflicts of interest - which the regents did in June for Wahlert Enterprises.

The flights are included in about $215,000 in bills the U of I has paid so far for the presidential search.

Not yet included in those bills are travel expenses for seven candidates for the president's job who were in Des Moines in November for interviews.

The regents rejected four finalists Nov. 17. The regents later reconsidered one finalist, but he withdrew.

The regents relaunched the search on Monday, appointing David Johnsen, dean of the U of I College of Dentistry, to lead a new search.

The regents have said they want to name a new president by next summer - about a year after David Skorton left the university to become president of Cornell University.

So far, the U of I has paid the national executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles about $195,000 for consulting, advertising and expenses.

Other expenditures included in receipts made public Tuesday include:

- $3,930 to Echo Valley Country Club in Des Moines. This includes $1,000 in room rental and $2,930 for catering for presidential candidate interviews Nov. 10-11.

The catering included 38 continental breakfasts, a sandwich buffet for 36, 86 bottles of water, 7 pounds of Tostitos and a quart of salsa.

- $3,450 to two hotels, the Radisson Hotel Des Moines Airport and Four Points Sheraton, also in Des Moines. The payment covered hotel rooms, meals and other expenses for regents and search committee members attending the interviews Nov. 10-11.

- $1,800 to Windstar Lines for bus service from Iowa City to Des Moines for interviews.

- $1,616 to the Iowa Memorial Union for catering search committee meetings from May to October.

- $1,115 to the U of I printing department for a presidential search brochure.

The university is still waiting to hear whether it will be charged for 30 hotel rooms and a meeting room that were reserved at the Chicago Airport Hilton.

The rooms were not used because Wahlert decided to move interviews to Des Moines because she worried that reporters would go to Chicago and learn the identities of candidates.

The U of I may have to pay 60 percent of the $4,800 bill, according to its contract with the hotel.