By Thomas Kaplan

TAMPA, Florida, 4:03 p.m. — University President Richard Levin departed Wednesday for the Olympic Games in his second trip to China in three months.

Levin and his wife, Jane, are part of a small delegation of university presidents from around the world traveling at the invitation of China’s Ministry of Education. They will return on Monday.

In an e-mail message, Levin shared his itinerary for the trip, which includes:

* Participating as a panelist in the School of Management’s executive education program

* Attending the dedication of the new U.S. embassy in Beijing

* Sitting for an interview on CCTV, China’s state television network

* Representing Yale at an awards ceremony at which the Yale University Press and the China International * Publishing Group will be honored for “promoting cross-cultural understanding,” as Levin put it, with their joint publication of the “Culture & Civilization of China” series.

But that won’t be all for Levin and his wife, the director of undergraduate studies for Directed Studies. “We will also attend the Opening Ceremonies and one or two Olympic events,” he wrote.

Levin has made the internationalization of Yale a pillar of his presidency in recent years, and he has been a regular visitor to China, where he has almost celebrity status. The president last visited the country in May, when he met with China’s vice president and sat for a lengthy interview on state television.