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Major accomplishments

of University of California President Michael V. Drake, M.D.

• Over two decades of leadership in higher education, having served as president of the University of California (2020-present), president of The Ohio State University (2014-2020), and chancellor of UC Irvine (2005-2014).
  
• Part of the University of California community for more than five decades in various capacities, including a 25-year tenure on the faculty of the UCSF School of Medicine, ultimately as the Steven P. Shearing Professor of Ophthalmology and senior associate dean, as well as faculty appointments at the UCSF School of Medicine as a professor of ophthalmology, at the UC Riverside School of Medicine as a professor of medicine, and at the UC Irvine School of Medicine as a distinguished professor of ophthalmology.
  
• Led systemwide efforts to admit and enroll significantly more California residents and students from groups underrepresented in higher education.
  
• Solidified UC’s fiscal stability and affordability by securing historic state investments in the University, including achieving a five-year funding Compact with California lawmakers that supported critical investments in educational access and excellence.
  
• Led the development of a systemwide Tuition Stability Plan to keep UC tuition predictable and provide new financial aid resources for students and families.
  
• Made progress toward offering every UC undergraduate a pathway for debt-free education.
  
• Advanced the University’s commitment to student diversity and inclusive excellence through the creation of the UC Native American Opportunity Plan, which aims to make college more affordable and accessible for California’s Native American students.
  
• Collaborated with key stakeholders across the University to reimagine public safety and launch a Systemwide Office of Civil Rights to help ensure that every member of the UC community feels welcome, safe and respected.
  
• Pioneered a transformative open access partnership with Elsevier, a global leader in scientific publishing, dramatically increasing public access to the University's groundbreaking research at no cost.
  
• Partnered with the State of California to award over $80 million in climate action grants to spur implementation of solutions that directly address state climate priorities.
  
• Oversaw the creation of the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES), a UC-led consortium that secured a $1.2 billion award to build and expand clean energy infrastructure across California.
  
• Maintained national recognition for the lasting benefits of a world-class UC education through national rankings with U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, and Washington Monthly.
  
• Established Juneteenth as a UC holiday to celebrate and commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
  
• Advanced the University’s commitment to equity and inclusion for all by leading the development of a new Presidential Policy on Gender Recognition and Lived Names, which acknowledges gender identities other than man and woman.
  
• Led the University of California in expanding access, affordability, and excellence while implementing crucial public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping infection and fatality rates across the UC system dramatically lower than in surrounding communities.
  
• Oversaw the search for and hiring of two new UC Chancellors: Rich Lyons at UC Berkeley and Julio Frenk at UCLA.
  
• Chaired the boards of six national organizations of leaders in higher education, including the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), the Association of American Universities (AAU), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC).

The University of California opened its doors in 1869 with just 10 faculty members and 40 students. Today, the UC system has more than 280,000 students and 227,000 faculty and staff, with 2.0 million alumni living and working around the world.