A message to the UC community from John A. Pérez, chair of the Board of Regents:

Dear UC Colleagues,

As chair of the Board of Regents, I am delighted to share with you that Michael V. Drake, M.D., will become the 21st president of the University of California.

Dr. Drake, former chancellor of UC Irvine and vice president of UC Health Affairs, returns to the University of California after having served with great distinction since 2014 as the president of The Ohio State University.

As I noted to my colleagues on the board, I believe Dr. Drake personifies the qualities we looked for in selecting a new president: he is committed to seeing the whole student and to supporting all our students, he recognizes the incalculable value of faculty and staff to the university’s mission, and he understands the importance of the public and private partnerships that help us achieve that mission.

These qualities dovetail with the priorities we heard from the UC community during the selection process, a thorough 10-month long nationwide search that included broad consultation with faculty, students, staff and alumni as well as soliciting an unprecedented amount of public input. More information on the search process can be located here.

As the first person of color to serve as UC president, Dr. Drake arrives at an important point in the university’s journey. From my own discussions with him, I am confident Dr. Drake is the right leader to build upon UC’s educational and research excellence and to advance the university’s goal to serve all segments of society as an engine of economic and social mobility.

I will have the honor of introducing President-designate Drake to the UC community during a special, livestreamed conversation at 11:30 a.m. PDT this Friday (July 10) that can be accessed here. I hope you can join us as we begin inaugurating this exciting new era at UC.

Fiat Lux,

John A. Pérez
Chair, Board of Regents