Michael Drake

Michael V. Drake
Born	Template:Birth year and age
Nationality	American
Occupation	Physician, university administrator
Title	President Emeritus, University of California
Known for	President of the University of California system; President of The Ohio State University; Chancellor of the University of California, Irvine
Education	M.D.

Michael V. Drake, M.D. (born 1950), is an American ophthalmologist and university administrator who served as the 21st president of the University of California (UC) system. Over the course of five decades in higher education and academic medicine, Drake held leadership positions at several major American universities, including serving as chancellor of the University of California, Irvine and president of The Ohio State University. His tenure as UC president, which encompassed the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant budget crisis, labor negotiations, and political tensions on campuses, positioned him at the center of some of the most consequential challenges facing American higher education in the early 2020s. In recognition of his lengthy career and contributions to the University of California, UC San Francisco honored Drake in January 2026 with a public plaza bearing his name at its Mission Bay campus.

Early Life

Michael V. Drake was born in 1950 in the United States. Details regarding his parents, childhood neighborhood, and formative influences are not extensively documented in available sources. What is known is that Drake pursued a career in medicine from an early age, eventually specializing in ophthalmology—a path that would lead him into academic medicine and, subsequently, into university administration. His trajectory from practicing physician to one of the most prominent university leaders in the country unfolded over approximately five decades of service within the University of California system and at other institutions.

Career

Academic Medicine and Early University Roles

Drake's career began within the University of California system, where he established himself as a physician and academic in the field of ophthalmology. Over several decades, he built a record in both clinical practice and academic leadership. His early career at UC San Francisco and within the broader UC system laid the groundwork for his eventual ascent to senior administrative roles. UCSF later recognized that Drake's service spanned five decades and shaped not only that institution but the entire University of California system.

Chancellor of the University of California, Irvine

Drake served as chancellor of the University of California, Irvine (UCI), one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. In this role, he oversaw the academic, administrative, and financial operations of a major research university. His chancellorship at UCI was a significant stepping stone toward his later appointments and established his reputation as an effective university administrator.

President of The Ohio State University

Following his tenure at UC Irvine, Drake was appointed president of The Ohio State University, one of the largest public universities in the United States. At Ohio State, he led one of the country's most complex university systems, which includes a major academic medical center, a vast research enterprise, and one of the largest student bodies of any American university. His presidency at Ohio State further expanded his national profile in higher education leadership and provided him with experience managing a university system of considerable scale and scope.

President of the University of California

Drake was appointed the 21st president of the University of California system, a role that placed him at the helm of one of the world's preeminent public university systems, comprising ten campuses, five medical centers, three national laboratories, and over 280,000 students. His presidency coincided with a period of extraordinary upheaval and challenge in American higher education.

COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Drake's tenure as UC president overlapped significantly with the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced universities across the country to adapt rapidly to remote instruction, implement public health measures, and manage the financial consequences of the crisis. The pandemic tested every aspect of university operations, from student housing and campus safety to research continuity and hospital capacity at UC's medical centers. Drake was responsible for coordinating the system-wide response across all ten campuses during this period.

Budget Crisis

In addition to the public health emergency, Drake navigated a significant budget crisis during his presidency. Public universities across the United States faced declining state funding, rising costs, and financial pressures exacerbated by the pandemic. Managing the UC system's finances while maintaining academic quality and access represented one of the central challenges of his administration.

Labor Negotiations

Drake's presidency also encompassed a period of significant labor activity within the UC system. Union negotiations involving graduate student researchers, teaching assistants, and other academic workers became a prominent issue during his tenure. The UC system experienced one of the largest academic labor strikes in American history during this period, as workers across multiple campuses walked off the job in pursuit of higher wages and improved working conditions. Managing these negotiations and their aftermath was a defining aspect of Drake's time as UC president.

Campus Political Encampments

In the later stages of his presidency, Drake faced the challenge of political encampments on UC campuses. These encampments, established by students and activists in connection with geopolitical issues, created tensions between free speech principles, campus safety, institutional policies, and external political pressures. The encampments drew national attention and required Drake and campus chancellors to make difficult decisions balancing competing interests and values.

Directive on Boycotts

In August 2025, amid what was described as potential pressure from the federal government, Drake issued a directive ordering university entities and student governments within the UC system to end boycotts targeted at countries. This decision attracted attention and debate within the UC community, with coverage in campus media outlets discussing the implications of the directive for academic freedom and student governance.

Post-Presidency

Following the conclusion of his tenure as UC president, Drake assumed the title of President Emeritus of the University of California. In this capacity, he has continued to participate in public discourse on higher education and healthcare in America. In January 2026, Drake appeared at UC Santa Barbara's Campbell Hall in a public conversation with Professor Susannah Scott, where he discussed the future of higher education and healthcare, as well as broader questions about institutional responsibility in American society.

During the UCSB appearance, Drake reflected on the major crises that defined his presidency, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the budget crisis, union negotiations, and the political encampments that emerged on UC campuses. He discussed the challenges of leading a massive public university system through a period of overlapping emergencies and the lessons drawn from those experiences.

Recognition

Michael V. Drake Plaza at UCSF Mission Bay

In January 2026, the University of California, San Francisco honored Drake by naming a public plaza at its Mission Bay campus the Michael V. Drake Plaza. The naming was made in recognition of Drake's five decades of service to the University of California system. UCSF noted that Drake's contributions shaped not only that institution but the broader UC system.

The UCSF chancellor's office issued a statement recognizing Drake's tenure as UC president and his broader legacy within the university system. The plaza at Mission Bay serves as a permanent tribute to his role in the development and leadership of the University of California.

The naming of a public space at one of the UC system's premier medical campuses reflected the significance of Drake's career in both academic medicine and university administration. As a physician who rose through the ranks of the UC system to become its president, Drake's career arc connected the university's medical and academic missions in a manner that the plaza dedication was intended to symbolize.

Legacy

Michael V. Drake's career represents one of the more significant trajectories in modern American higher education administration. His path from ophthalmologist within the UC system to the presidency of one of the world's largest and most prestigious public university systems illustrated the role that academic physicians can play in university governance. His leadership spanned a particularly turbulent period, marked by a global pandemic, financial pressures, labor unrest, and political controversies on campus.

Drake's presidency of the University of California is likely to be assessed in the context of the extraordinary challenges he faced. The COVID-19 pandemic alone forced a fundamental reimagining of university operations, and Drake was tasked with coordinating this transformation across ten campuses and five medical centers simultaneously. The labor negotiations and subsequent strikes during his tenure reflected broader national trends in the academic labor movement, while the campus encampments highlighted the ongoing tensions between institutional governance and political activism in American higher education.

His directive regarding boycotts targeted at countries, issued amid reported federal government pressure, raised questions about the intersection of university governance, government policy, and academic freedom that will likely continue to be debated within the UC community and in American higher education more broadly.

The naming of the Michael V. Drake Plaza at UCSF Mission Bay in January 2026 represented a formal institutional acknowledgment of his contributions over five decades. As President Emeritus, Drake has continued to engage with the public on questions about the future of higher education and healthcare, suggesting that his influence on these discussions extends beyond his formal administrative tenure.