Ric Porreca, chief budget and planning officer for the University of Colorado at Boulder, has been selected to oversee financial and facilities planning at the University of California, Davis. Porreca, 40, will start as UC Davis' new associate vice chancellor for resource management and planning Aug. 1 At UC Davis, Porreca will be responsible for preparing the campus's $1.2 billion annual operating budget and a yearly capital budget with about $60 million in state and nonstate funds. He will oversee land-use planning on the 5,100-acre campus, the physically largest in the UC system, and will be in charge of institutional research and policy planning. He will oversee 32 employees in three units: program and budget planning; physical, environmental and capital planning; and analytical studies. During his 17-year career in higher education, Porreca has worked in nearly every major administrative division at the University of Colorado at Boulder -- including planning and budget, student affairs, administration, and employee benefits and records. He also worked for the four-campus University of Colorado system as interim assistant vice president for budget and finance for 18 months before taking his current job as executive director of planning, budget and analysis at Boulder in July 1994. "I am absolutely delighted by his appointment," said UC Davis Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Robert Grey. "Ric Porreca has just about the broadest range of administrative experience in a major university as anyone I've encountered. "His background, talents and personal qualities make him exceptionally well suited to provide leadership for UC Davis in resource planning and management. UC Davis is extremely fortunate to have him as a member of our administrative leadership team as the campus plans for major growth in the decade ahead." Porreca was among about 45 candidates nationwide to apply for the position. Porreca said he is looking forward to joining the UC Davis administration as the campus prepares for growth in its enrollment, faculty and facilities. "I feel fortunate to be coming to the campus at what I perceive to be a very exciting time in its history," he said. Porreca said he was impressed by the sense of community both at UC Davis and the city of Davis. "My experience in the search process has been nothing but an absolute pleasure. That's what sold me on the place. It's very collegial, very supportive and everyone was interested in further advancing the institution." Robert Smiley, dean of the Graduate School of Management and chair of the selection committee, said Porreca's liberal-arts education, the breadth and depth of his work experience, and his personable demeanor made him the clear choice. "When questioned, he showed real insight into how a research university works and originality in the ways he would approach some of the budgeting issues we have on the plate," Smiley said. "So when we think about going into an era of growth on the campus, the perspectives and insights he will bring are really exciting." Porreca fills a position that opened after Richard Meisinger, then associate vice chancellor for planning and budget, was named associate provost for academic planning last July. Porreca and his wife, Joyce Guilmette, have a son, Jackson, 7, and daughter, Aleyna, 5. EDITOR'S NOTE: A photo of Ric Porreca may be obtained electronically by contacting Amy Rafferty, (530) 752-9836, aerafferty@ucdavis.edu.