USC President Steps Down Over Sexual-Misconduct Scandal Involving Gynecologist

C.L. Max Nikias resigned as president of the University of Southern California on Friday, bowing to pressure from professors who said he had mishandled numerous recent cases of sexual harassment and misconduct within the university’s ranks.

The latest controversy at USC, where a former gynecologist at a student-health clinic was accused of harassment and inappropriate contact with patients, proved too much for Nikias, who has for months held onto his job in the face of scandals that seemed without end. News about George Tyndall, the gynecologist, came not long after explosive revelations about Carmen A. Puliafito, a former medical-school dean, who consorted with prostitutes and abused drugs.

In a statement on Friday, the executive committee of the university’s Board of Trustees acknowledged the sentiment that has spread across the campus in recent days: “We have heard the message that something is broken and that urgent and profound actions are needed,” the statement said.

Nikias’s fall is significant. He has been at USC for a quarter century. He rose from the provost slot, in 2010, to the presidency — just as many on the campus expected him to do. In crisis after crisis, he promised to change the culture of the university. But many argued that could not happen with him at the helm.

Jack Stripling covers college leadership, particularly presidents and governing boards. Follow him on Twitter @jackstripling, or email him at jack.stripling@chronicle.com.