In May 2002, Bruce B. Darling became senior vice president-university affairs when he was given the added responsibility of integrating internal as well as external activities across all areas of planning and policy at the University of California. His responsibilities also include the acquisition of UC's operating and capital budgets; the university's governmental relations programs in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.; communications with the news media and public; and alumni relations and fundraising.

Mr. Darling also served as UC's interim vice president-laboratory management from January 2003 through October 2003. In this capacity, Mr. Darling was the senior university official responsible for UC's management oversight of three national laboratories - Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Ernest O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory - for the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Mr. Darling was appointed senior vice president for university and external relations in May 2000 after serving as vice president for university and external relations since November 1996. Previously, he served as vice chancellor for development and university relations at UC San Diego.

Mr. Darling joined UC in 1980 as special assistant to the chancellor at UC San Diego after having served in a variety of administrative positions at the National Science Foundation. He was assistant vice chancellor and associate vice chancellor for university relations before being appointed a vice chancellor in 1993.

He graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in political science from UCLA in 1974, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and three other national scholastic honorary societies. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese, having lived in South America and the Caribbean for much of his childhood.

Mr. Darling has received several scholastic and professional honors and is active in numerous professional and civic activities. He serves on the boards of the California Council on Science and Technology and Californians for Higher Education. Additionally, Mr. Darling is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.