University of California, Irvine chancellorship

In 2005, Drake was appointed as the fifth chancellor of the University of California, Irvine (UCI). He officially began his term on July 1, 2005.^[8][9] His annual $350,000 salary remained unchanged from his previous position at the Office of the President. As of 2010 he earned $374,969.32.^[10]

Ohio State University presidency

On January 30, 2014, the Ohio State University Board of Trustees named Drake as the 15th president of Ohio State University. He began his tenure at the university on June 30, 2014.^[11] At the time of his appointment, he was part of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the board of directors of NCAA Division I.^[12] In March 2015, Drake was appointed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame board.^[13]

In November 2019, the university announced that Drake would retire in 2020.^[14]

University of California presidency

On July 7, 2020, Drake was selected as the 21st president of the University of California system, making him the first Black president in UC's 152-year history.^[15]

Philanthropy

In 2017, Dr. Drake led the establishment of the Ohio State Tuition Guarantee, which freezes tuition, mandatory fees, housing and dining for four years for incoming, in-state freshmen. He also increased the value of Ohio State Land Grant Opportunity Scholarships to cover the full cost of attendance while doubling the size of the program in 2018.^[21]

Chemerinsky firing and rehiring

Drake's first major firing scandal was to fire the Dean of the UCI law school, Erwin Chemerinsky. After Chemerinsky signed a contract on September 4, 2007, Drake rescinded the offer because he felt the law professor's commentaries were "polarizing"; Drake claimed the decision was his own and not the subject of any outside influence.^[24]

The action was criticized by both liberal and conservative scholars who felt it hindered the academic mission of the law school and violated principles of academic freedom. Few believed Drake's claims that it was not the result of outside influence.^[24][25] The issue was the subject of an editorial in The New York Times on September 14, 2007.^[26] Details emerged revealing that UCI had received criticism on the hire from the California Supreme Court's then-Chief Justice Ronald M. George, who criticized Chemerinsky's grasp of death penalty appeals, as well as a group of prominent local Republicans who wanted to stop the appointment, including Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. Drake traveled over a weekend to meet with Chemerinsky in Durham, North Carolina, where Chemerinsky was a professor at the Duke University School of Law at the time, and the two reached an agreement.^[27] On September 17, Chemerinsky issued a joint press release with Drake indicating that Chemerinsky would head the UCI law school.^[28] On September 20, 2007, Chemerinsky's hire was formally approved by the Regents of the University of California.^[29] In 2014, Chemerinsky said that he and Drake had since reconciled.^[30]

Waters firing

Drake fired Ohio State marching band director Jon Waters on July 24, 2014,^[31] after a university investigation found that the band's "sexualized culture" was "inconsistent with the University's values and Title IX requirements". The university stated that there were "serious cultural issues and an environment conducive to sexual harassment within the Marching Band", and that the band director "was aware or reasonably should have known about" it.^[32] Waters sued for reinstatement, accusing the university, Drake, and a provost of discriminating against him by disciplining him differently than a female employee and denying him due process.^{[33][34][35][36]} Drake has stood by his decision to terminate Waters as marching band director.^[37] As of January 2015, the university had spent nearly $1 million in defense of the decision and subsequent actions.^[38]