Ohio State Appoints First Ever African-American President

Ohio State Appoints First Ever African-American President

The Ohio State University has made history yet again with the recent election of the school’s first African-American president who will begin his term this June.

via ABC News

Ohio State University trustees picked a California educator as the school’s next president Thursday, ending a search that began with the former president’s retirement following remarks critical of Roman Catholics and Southeastern Conference schools.

Trustees voted unanimously in favor of University of California, Irvine chancellor Michael Drake to become the 15th president of Ohio State.

“Dr. Drake was the strongest and the consensus candidate,” said Jeffrey Wadsworth, an Ohio State University trustee who led the search.

Drake, 63, is an ophthalmology professor who also is a published textbook author. In 2005 he was named the fifth chancellor of UC Irvine, where he also served as a professor.

Drake, who will be Ohio State’s first black president, begins June 30.

Drake said he was humbled by the opportunity and looking forward to working at Ohio State. He said the university is “in many ways the premier position in higher education in the United States today.”

“The trajectory of Ohio State and the power of Ohio State are admired and understood throughout the world of higher education,” Drake said. He said the university is one of only a few with “the heft, the power and the capacity” to serve not just the state but the country and world.

This is awesome news for OSU! We look forward to seeing this new university president in action.