President of the University of California to resign after five years marked by pandemic and campus protests

SACRAMENTO, California – The president of the University of California announced Wednesday that he would step down after five years leading one of the nation’s largest public university systems through the coronavirus pandemic, labor strikes and campus protests.

Michael V. Drake, the first Black person to hold that position in the system’s more than 150-year history, said he would step down at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. He called service in the role “the honor of a lifetime.”

“I am immensely proud of what the UC community has accomplished,” Drake said in a statement. “At every step, I have sought to listen to those I served, uphold our shared UC values, and do everything I can to leave this institution in better shape than it was before. I am proud to see the University continuing to make a positive impact on the lives of countless Californians through research, teaching and public service.”

Drake began the role in July 2020, just months into the pandemic and as protests for racial justice erupted across the country following the murder of George Floyd. In the following years, the university system witnessed other high-profile demonstrations, including in 2022, when thousands of graduate student workers went on strike for higher wages and earlier this year, when students established camps to protest the war in Gaza.

As president, Drake secured a state budget increase of 5% annually for five years to help the university system increase enrollment and make its colleges more accessible to underrepresented students. He helped create plans to reduce tuition increases and offer free tuition to Native American students who are citizens of federally recognized tribes.

The University of California enrolls about 300,000 students and is the second largest university system in the state, behind California State University, which enrolls more than 450,000 students annually.

Before becoming president, Drake spent decades working in higher education, where he served as president of the University of California, Irvine; led Ohio State University; and presided over the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He is a doctor who trained at the University of California, San Francisco, before becoming a professor of ophthalmology at the university’s medical school.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom praised Drake’s tenure as president, saying he “led with grace and vision.”

“On behalf of all Californians, I thank President Drake for his leadership, for developing our UC system and for blazing a brighter path for our state,” Newsom said in a statement. “His legacy of service in higher education has undoubtedly helped us develop the next generation of extraordinary leaders in California, and it has been an honor to work alongside him.”