University of California president will retire at end of academic year

SACRAMENTO, California — University of California President Michael V. Drake will retire after the upcoming academic year, capping a challenging five-year tenure atop one of the country’s most prestigious higher education systems.

Drake, 74, has led the 10-campus UC and its mammoth hospital network through student enrollment growth, the bulk of the coronavirus pandemic and some of the country’s most intense protests over the war in Gaza. He informed students and faculty of his decision in a letter on Wednesday .

“I am immensely proud of what the UC community has accomplished,” Drake said in a statement. “At every turn, I have sought to listen to those I served, to uphold our shared UC values, and to do all I could to leave this institution in better shape than it was before.”

The chancellors of both UCLA and UC Berkeley also retired over the summer, though both departures were announced before the war in Gaza began. The national search for Drake’s successor will take place in the coming months.

A physician by training, Drake previously led the UC system’s health programs as well as its Irvine campus before taking a job as president of the Ohio State University in 2014. He returned to California to become president of the UC in August of 2020, succeeding former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

His administration has navigated adversarial relationships with the system’s numerous labor unions, including the nation’s largest-ever higher education strike in 2022 and another walkout by the same union this year over the system’s handling of pro-Palestinian protests.

This past academic year brought dueling pressures from student activists and elected officials who pressed Drake and the UC’s governing board to handle demonstrations differently. Pro-Palestinian activists unsuccessfully renewed calls for the system to divest from companies and investment firms that do business with Israel, all while members of the state Legislature’s Jewish Caucus met with Drake and campus presidents, pressing them to crack down harder on protests.

Drake, the first Black president of the 295,000-student system, has faced not only the typical pressure of being the system’s figurehead but also racist attacks. Vandals last year defaced his university-owned home with slurs , broke windows and jumped a protective fence constructed by the university.

UC under Drake has added 10,000 students and slightly increased its share of undergraduates who are California residents. On Wednesday, the system reported that it accepted a record number of applicants for the fall term, including 70 percent of California residents who applied.

“President Drake took the reins of the University of California during the height of the pandemic and has led with grace and vision in the years since,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “He has used his decades of experience to advocate for better access to higher education for all Californians and has always fought for academic excellence.”

A search committee composed of UC regents and representatives of students, faculty, staff and alumni will be tasked with finding Drake’s successor. After a sabbatical, Drake plans to return to a faculty post.