USC President Steps Down Over Gynecologist Scandal

University of Southern California president C.L. Max Nikias has agreed to resign amid mounting public outrage over a university gynecologist accused of sexually abusing his patients for decades. “We have heard the message that something is broken and that urgent and profound actions are needed,” Rick J. Caruso, the chairman of the university’s board, said in a letter to students and faculty. The board has “agreed to begin an orderly transition and commence the process of selecting a new president,” Caruso said. The announcement came amid calls for Nikias’ ouster from hundreds of students and faculty who say the university ignored numerous complaints about the gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall. Tyndall, 71, is accused of taking inappropriate photos of patients’ genitals, touching them inappropriately under the guise of medical treatment, and making crude sexual comments during exams. He worked at the university’s clinic for 30 years.