USC president Max Nikias steps down amid scandal of gynecologist accused of abuse
LOS ANGELES -- USC's president has agreed to step down after pressure from faculty over a scandal involving a university gynecologist accused of abusing students, the university's board of trustees said Friday. Max Nikias will leave the post immediately, a news release Friday implied, CBS Los Angeles reports.
A letter to faculty members on Friday that was obtained by The Associated Press says the school's board of trustees had "agreed to begin an orderly transition" and begin searching for a new president.
"Today, President Nikias and the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees have agreed to begin an orderly transition and commence the process of selecting a new president," USC board of trustees Chairman Rick J. Caruso wrote. "We recognize the need for change and are committed to a stable transition."
The decision comes after dozens of professors, students and alumni called for Nikias' resignation in the wake of the scandal.
A 2016 internal investigation found Dr. George Tyndall had conducted inappropriate pelvic exams and made sexually offensive remarks to patients. The university did not report the matter to the state medical board.