Drake discussed the role of higher education in society and major events within the UC during his presidency. Drake was the first Black UC president and lived through racial segregation during his childhood. Regarding his thoughts on the role of universities within society, Drake referenced the ideas of Clark Kerr, the first UC Berkeley chancellor and twelfth UC president. Scott and Drake also discussed how universities can build back trust in higher education with the American public. A Pew Research Center study conducted last year found that a growing number of Americans believe higher education is “generally going in the wrong direction.”Drake said that he would like to further “interrogate” the claim that higher education isn’t useful anymore.