University of California names its first Black president, appointing Ohio State leader to top role

The University of California Board of Regents appointed its first Black president on Tuesday, naming former Ohio State University President Michael V. Drake to lead the nine-campus system.

Drake is also the first person of color to serve in the role.

“It really is a wonderful feeling, I’m so excited to be rejoining my UC family moving forward,” Drake said after the board unanimously voted to name him to the post

He succeeds outgoing President Janet Napolitano, a history-making choice as the first woman to lead the UC system. Napolitano announced her retirement from the role last fall.

Napolitano praised the selection of Drake during Tuesday’s meeting.

“He’s ready to hit the ground running,” she said. “...He’s a friend to everyone he meets. He’s simply a superb choice.”

Drake spent part of his childhood in Sacramento and is an alumnus of Stanford University and University of California San Francisco.

In addition, he served for nine years as chancellor of the University of California Irvine, leaving the post for OSU in 2014.

“During this time, UC Irvine became recognized nationally for advancing social justice through education and exemplifying environmental stewardship and institutional sustainability,” according to his OSU biography.

Drake also is a previous vice president for health affairs for the University of California system.

He served more than 20 years on the faculty at UC San Francisco’s School of Medicine, eventually serving as senior associate dean.

Drake in 2014 became a recipient of the University of California Presidential Medal, and in 2017, he and his wife, Brenda, received the 10th Annual King Arts Legends & Legacies Award as well as the University of California-Irvine Medal.

Drake was president of The Ohio State University for six years. He earned a salary of nearly $892,000 there, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

His base salary at the University of California is $890,000, according to the system. He is taking a voluntary 10% pay cut because of the recession caused by the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Board of Regents.

This story was originally published July 7, 2020 at 5:44 PM with the headline "University of California names its first Black president, appointing Ohio State leader to top role."