The University of California (UC) Board of Regents has named a black President for the first time in the public institution’s 150-year history.
Dr Michael V. Drake was unanimously approved by the board and will be the first person of colour to serve as the 21st President of the University.
According to the CNN report, Dr Drake’s appointment comes as universities around the US scuffle with economic issues and racial diversity amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
He has served his 30 years of service to the UC as a faculty member, health administrator, and UC Irvine’s fifth chancellor. Recently, he stepped down as the President of The Ohio State University, a position he held since 2014.
The official board described Drake’s appointment as the ‘homecoming’ that the university would love to celebrate.
‘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-honoured mission,’ Drake said. ‘I look forward to working with the regents, chancellors, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and our broader community as we, together, guide the University through the challenging times ahead,’ he added.
He has succeeded Janet Napolitano, who became UC’s first female president in 2013. She described Drake’s appointment as ‘one more step in the university’s ongoing effort to ensure that it reflects the rich diversity of the state’.
