This post was updated Aug. 4 at 10:11 p.m.

UC President Michael Drake announced Wednesday that he would step down from his role at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year.

Drake assumed the role as the 21st president of the UC in July 2020, becoming the first Black person to hold the position. Prior to becoming president, he served as the chancellor of UC Irvine, the UC systemwide vice president for health affairs and as a faculty member at the UC San Francisco School of Medicine. He succeeded Janet Napolitano, who before becoming president was the governor of Arizona and secretary of homeland security.

“At every turn, I have sought to listen to those I served, to uphold our shared UC values, and to do all I could to leave this institution in better shape than it was before,” said Drake in a Wednesday press release. “I’m proud to see the University continuing to make a positive impact on the lives of countless Californians through research, teaching, and public service.”

During his tenure, Drake enrolled the highest number of California residents in a single year, as the UC announced Wednesday that it had accepted a record 70% of California residents who applied. He also oversaw the most diverse group of UC admits in history, with 45% of fall 2024 admits coming from underrepresented groups.

In addition to raising enrollment numbers, Drake developed a Tuition Stability Plan that was implemented in 2022 and guaranteed that annual tuition charges would not increase for students throughout their time at the UC by 2026, with exceptions for inflation adjustments.

“On behalf of all Californians, I thank President Drake for his leadership, for growing our UC system, and for paving a brighter path forward for our state,” said Governor Gavin Newsom in the press release. “His legacy of service in higher education has undoubtedly helped us grow the next generation of extraordinary California leaders, and it’s been an honor to work alongside him.”

In partnership with the State of California, he earned $80 million in grants to fund 38 climate projects across the UC. He also oversaw the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems, a UC consortium that acquired $1.2 billion to build clean energy infrastructure. 

However, Drake recently came under fire for his handling of pro-Palestine protests across the UC. After Chancellor Gene Block released an April 30 message to those in UCLA’s Palestine solidarity encampment, calling the protest “unlawful,” Drake published a similar statement reiterating Block’s message.

“I fully support the campus in taking this step,” he said. “When expression blocks the ability of students to learn or express their own viewpoints, when it meaningfully disrupts the functioning of the University, or when it threatens the safety of students, or anyone else, we must act.”

In addition, six Republican committee chairs of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Drake on June 5 expressing concern regarding “ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic harassment and intimidation” at UCLA. In the letter, the committee chairs announced that the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights had opened an investigation into UCLA based on alleged Title VI violations, which include acts of antisemitic harassment and intimidation.

A new search committee, led by UC Board of Regents Chair Janet Reilly, will soon begin a “comprehensive national search” to fill Drake’s position, according to the press release. This committee will include representatives from the UC student body, faculty, staff and alumni, per UC policy.