OSU President Drake Begins Job as Chair of APLU Board of Trustees

Dr. Michael Drake, president of The Ohio State University (OSU) began his first day on Monday as chair of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Board of Directors.

Dr. Michael Drake

Drake became president of OSU in June 2014 and has since voiced the importance of the institution’s land-grant mission while at the same time instituting factors that have supported thousands of OSU students and successfully recruited diverse freshman classes each school year. He is the first Ohio State president to serve as APLU board chair in almost 40 years, according to Ohio State News.

“The efforts of higher education organizations such as APLU align closely with Ohio State’s strategic vision for the future of our students and communities,” said Drake. “We share a mission to uplift lives through teaching, learning, research and outreach — and I look forward to the opportunity to help advance these vital efforts.”

Most recently, Drake finished his term as chair of the Association of American Universities (AAU) Board of Directors in October, an organization comprised of 62 research colleges and universities Ohio State News reported.

The APLU is the oldest higher education organization in the North America and encompasses 238 U.S. institutions. It uses research, policy and advocacy to advance the work of North American public colleges and universities.