The Ohio State University President Michael Drake, MD, has announced that he will retire from the role next year.
In a press release, Drake said the timing was right for Ohio State and his family.
“Ohio State is a very special place. Brenda and I are blessed to be part of the incredible Buckeye community,” said Drake. “Ohio State has enjoyed record successes in several of our most important strategic markers and has tremendous momentum. It was important to Brenda and me that the university be accelerating on a path forward as we decided to begin the transition.”
Drake has served as president of the university since June 2014. While under his leadership, the university has seen all-time highs in applications, diversity, retention and graduation rates, industry-sponsored research and support from donors.
The university also launched the Ohio State Tuition Guarantee, which locks in-state tuition, mandatory fees, housing and dining for incoming undergraduate classes, and the Buckeye Opportunity Program, which provides full tuition and mandatory fee coverage to Ohio Pell students at all of the university’s regional locations. The program is one of several designed to make college more affordable for low- and moderate-income students.
The university will launch a national search for its next president, with Drake leading through at least the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.Â
“Our goal when we came to Columbus was to see The Ohio State University rise in impact and influence among the nation’s leading research universities, to significantly improve student and faculty success and recognition, and to contribute further to our community in a way that makes us the exemplars of the 21st-century land-grant university,” Drake said. “It is great to see that happening.”
For more information, visit The Ohio State University website.