SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The president of the University of California announced Wednesday he would step down after five years of leading one of the nation’s largest public university systems through the coronavirus pandemic, labor strikes and campus protests.

Michael V. Drake, the first Black person to serve in the role in the system’s more than 150-year history, said he would step down at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. He called serving in the post “the honor of a lifetime.”