LOS ANGELES, May 26 (NNN-Bernama) -- The president of the University of Southern California (USC) has agreed to step down over the scandal of a longtime campus gynecologist who is accused of sexual misconduct to female patients, the USC Board of Trustees said Friday, China's Xinhua News Agency reported.
"Today, President (C. L. Max) 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. We recognise the need for change and are committed to a stable transition," said Rick J. Caruso, chairman of Subcommittee of the Executive Committee of the USC Board of Trustees, in a statement.
"We appreciate the voices of the many members of the university community who have expressed indignation from the harm inflicted on our students by Dr.(George) Tyndall," Caruso said.
"The University of Southern California is governed by a Board of Trustees, with both a fiduciary and legal responsibility to that community. We have heard the message that something is broken and that urgent and profound actions are needed," he said.
The statement does not mention the timing of Nikias' departure.
Nikias became the USC's 11th president in August 2010. He has been at the USC since 1991, as a professor, director of national research centers, dean, provost, and president.--NNN-BERNAMA
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK