OAKLAND – (INT) – Former UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake, MD, was appointed Tuesday president of the University of California by the UC Board of Regents.

Drake left UC Irvine in 2014 to become president of Ohio State University (OSU).

“Much has changed in the 15 years since I was given the privilege of becoming chancellor at UC Irvine, but not my absolute belief in this great University and its time-honored mission,” Drake said.

Drake’s tenure at OSU was marked by record-high applications and graduation rates, groundbreaking research and strong donor support. He established several successful programs to increase student access and affordability, including a tuition guarantee program.

Drake succeeds Janet Napolitano as president of the UC system of ten campuses, five medical centers and three nationally affiliated labs. She was the first woman to become UC president.

After she steps down August 1st, Napolitano plans to take time off before teaching at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley where she is currently a tenured professor.

Story Date: July 13, 2020