Dr. Michael V. Drake, who made history in 2014 when he was named the first African-American president of The Ohio State University, announced on Thursday that he will retire from the post at the end of the 2019-2020 academic school year.
He and his wife Brenda will stay in the Columbus area and Drake will remain on the OSU faculty.
“Ohio State is a very special place. Brenda and I are blessed to be part of the incredible Buckeye community,” said Drake, 69, a board-certified ophthalmologist who previously served as chancellor of the University of California, Irvine and prior to that served as vice chancellor for health affairs for the University of California system. “The work being done at this university through teaching, learning, research, creative expression, community engagement and leading-edge partnerships is unprecedented in our 150-year history.”
Though a five-year stint as president of a university—particularly one as large as OSU— isn’t unusual these days, Drake’s tenure was marked by some noticeable challenges. He had to grapple with a number of public scandals, including a report that outlined disturbing allegations of a disturbing culture in the university’s marching band, where charges of sexual harassment, hazing, alcohol abuse and even rape was rampant for years. While the report led to the firing of band director Jonathan Waters, there were other issues as well, including a prominent football coach and a former team doctor accused of sexual abuse.
In his letter to the OSU community, Drake didn’t dwell on those setbacks but focused instead on the future and lauded the many accomplishments, including record graduation rates, that took place on his watch.
“There is no better time to position a new leader for success as the state of our university has never been stronger,” he wrote. “Through your contributions and the contributions of all our students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, Ohio State has seen all-time highs in several of our most important indicators. These include affordability measures, faculty research and impact, the academic excellence and diversity of our students, graduation rates, alumni and donor support, our campus environment and so much more.”
Drake said that all of the efforts support the university’s strategic vision to “strengthen Ohio State’s position as a leading national flagship public research university.”
