University of California president to step down after five years marked by pandemic and campus protests

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The president of the University of California announced Wednesday that he will resign after five years of 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 serving in the role “the honor of a lifetime.”

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

Drake took office in July 2020, just months after the pandemic began and as racial justice protests erupted across the country following the killing of George Floyd. In the years since, the university system has seen other high-profile demonstrations, including in 2022, when thousands of graduate students went on strike to demand a pay raise, and earlier this year, when students set up camps to protest the war in Gaza.

As president, Drake secured a 5% annual budget increase from the state 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 nearly 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 worked for decades in higher education, serving as chancellor of the University of California, Irvine, leading Ohio State University and chairing the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He is a physician 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 has “led with grace and vision.”

“On behalf of all Californians, I thank Chairman Drake for his leadership, for growing our UC system and for paving a brighter path forward 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 California leaders, and it has been an honor to work alongside him.”