Of five finalists to be the next president of Ohio State University, leaders noted that Dr. Michael V. Drake had turned around a troubled medical center. They saw that he had risen far and fast as an academic leader, and he could raise money.But what struck them most about Drake, now head of the University of California in Irvine, was his firm grasp on the challenges facing Ohio State amid national health-care reform and a debate on college affordability.

Of five finalists to be the next president of Ohio State University, leaders noted that Dr. Michael V. Drake had turned around a troubled medical center. They saw that he had risen far and fast as an academic leader, and he could raise money.



But what struck them most about Drake, now head of the University of California in Irvine, was his firm grasp on the challenges facing Ohio State amid national health-care reform and a debate on college affordability.



"In describing the future, he had really thought about what it means to have a land-grant university with a medical center," said Jeffrey Wadsworth, the OSU trustee who led the search. "He had all of this packaged in his brain. He understood the scope of the job in a way that was extremely articulately described."



At a meeting of the OSU board of trustees this afternoon, Wadsworth and other trustees introduced Drake, who had flown in from California this morning to accept their offer of the president's job and is to start work on June 30. The terms of his contract have not yet been finalized.

Speaking from prepared remarks, Drake, who was wearing a scarlet-and-gray tie, described Columbus as "a city of great texture and vibrancy." He said he and his wife, Brenda, are looking forward to making Columbus their home.

Drake said Ohio State is a premiere university in the country that is outstanding but also clearly on the move. "I'm deeply humbled by this opportunity," he said.

He ended his remarks with "Go Bucks" and received a standing ovation from the trustees.

Drake was then joined by his wife, who was wearing a scarf adorned with OSU's trademark Block O.



Drake, 63, will be OSU's first African-American president and its 15th chief overall.



He is an ophthalmologist by training and rose from an assistant professor at UC San Francisco in 1979 to the director of all the medical schools in the university system by 2000. Five years later, he was appointed to lead Irvine amid financial struggles across the school and lawsuits and turmoil in its medical center.



He started his college career at Sacramento City College but graduated from Stanford University, where his two sons also attended.



Faculty at Irvine said he turned around the medical center and boosted university finances. He also helped found California's first public law school in 40 years. The law school's inaugural class graduated in 2012, and its members passed the state bar exam at the second-highest rate among schools in the state.



"He worked very hard with me to help turn around our school of medicine. It's in far better shape now than it has ever been," said Dr. Ralph Clayman, the dean of the School of Medicine. "Our medical-school applications have gone up 25 percent in the last four years. We've been able to expand our diversity tremendously."



On campus, Drake is known, too, for his quiet charm. "He's very humble, soft-spoken, sharp and witty," said Justin Chung, a doctoral student in informatics at UC Irvine. "He's also a real storyteller. I can't think of a time when we had a conversation that he didn't have a story for me."



Chung said Drake doesn't try to "correct, dismiss or humor students."



An OSU search committee of faculty, students and trustees has been looking for the next president since July, after E. Gordon Gee retired. With the help of a hired firm and suggestions from across campus, the group gathered a pool of 300 candidates, both academic leaders and people outside education.



University officials would not release the names of other candidates or finalists.



Among the 300 candidates, the search committee sought leaders who had managed complex institutions. They wanted someone who could improve the university's academic rankings. Experience managing a medical center was a strong factor amid construction of OSU's $1 billion cancer hospital.



Those qualifications helped winnow the pool of candidates to 20. After Wadsworth, who is the president and CEO of Battelle, and Robert Schottenstein, head of the trustees, called each one on the phone, the search committee invited five people to interviews at the university. Officials quickly came to agreement that Drake was the right choice, Wadsworth said.



Said Schottenstein, the president and CEO of M/I Homes: "His academic accomplishments and professional accomplishments are absolutely top-rate. We believe very strongly that Michael Drake is the right person at the right time."



Among Drake's challenges will be settling into a larger school, Wadsworth said. Irvine has 28,000 students, about half as many as Ohio State. But it is a top public research university, rated No. 14 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings; Ohio State is No. 16.



Irvine has no football team, but Drake is on the board of directors of the NCAA, the governing body of college sports. During two years on the board, he has become a key figure on the committee working to restructure the NCAA, said Roderick McDavis, the president of Ohio University and a fellow board member.



Drake is known at Irvine for his ability to raise money. Since 2005, he has helped raise more than $800 million as part of a campaign with a target of $1 billion. He founded a $39 million eye institute at Irvine using only private donations.



"People don't give to bricks and mortar, they give to people," said Jim Mazzo, a past chairman of the UC Irvine Foundation. "He's a tremendous fundraiser. I've never seen him not do it. He's very eloquent, very humorous."



Ohio Gov. John Kasich said today that he had not yet met Drake but spoke briefly with him by phone. "Ohio State is a critical part of Ohio," Kasich said, adding that he looks forward to cultivating a strong relationship with the new OSU chief.



Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman is excited to build a relationship with Drake, said the mayor's spokesman, Dan Williamson.



"It's a historic choice in that it would be the university's first African-American president, and the mayor commends that," Williamson said. "But even more important from the mayor's perspective is that the new president understand the close connection between the campus and the city."

Gee issued a statement welcoming Drake and his family. He described the new president as "a world-class academic andexceptionally able and seasoned higher-education leader."



Dispatch Reporter Randy Ludlow contributed to this story.

cbinkley@dispatch.com

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