C. L. Max Nikias

C. L. Max Nikias
C.L. Max Nikias (cropped)
11th President of the University of Southern California
In office
August 3, 2010 – August 7, 2018
Preceded bySteven Sample
Succeeded byCarol Folt
Personal details
Born
Chrysostomos Loizos Nikias

(1952-09-30) September 30, 1952 (age 72)
Komi Kebir, Cyprus
Spouse
Niki
​
(m. 1977)​
Children2 daughters
Alma materNational Technical University of Athens, University at Buffalo
ProfessionElectrical engineering, Higher education, Academic administration

Chrysostomos Loizos "Max" Nikias (Greek: Χρυσόστομος Λοΐζος Νικίας; born September 30, 1952) is a Cypriot-American academic, and served as the 11th University of Southern California president, a position he held from August 3, 2010,[1] to August 7, 2018.[2] He holds the Malcolm R. Currie Chair in Technology and the Humanities and is president emeritus of the university.[3] He had been at USC since 1991, as a professor, director of national research centers, dean, provost, and president. He also served as chair of the College Football Playoff (CFP) Board of Managers (2015-2018) as chair of the board of the Keck Medical Center at USC (2009-2018), as member of the board of directors of the Alfred Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering (2001-2018), and as a member of the board of trustees of the Chadwick School, an independent school in Palos Verdes Peninsula, Calif. (2001-2010).[4] He is currently a tenured professor in electrical engineering with a secondary appointment in classics, and the director of the USC Institute for Technology Enabled Higher Education.[5]

In May 2018, 200 tenured USC professors (out of about 1,181 tenured faculty)[6] demanded Nikias's resignation for how his administration dealt with nearly 300 incidents of sexual assault and sexual misconduct allegations over 27 years against a longtime student health center gynecologist, George Tyndall.[7][8][9] He and the board of trustees agreed to an orderly transition to a new president on May 25, 2018, and he stepped down on August 7, 2018.[10][11] Following this, Nikias was named president emeritus and a life trustee of the university.[12] The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights' independent investigation concluded with a report published in February 2020 and did not implicate Nikias or his predecessor in any specific wrongdoing.[13]

Nikias served on the board of directors of Synopsys, Inc., (NASDAQ: SNPS), an S&P 500 semiconductor chips company from 2011-2023, where he chaired its compensation committee.[14][15] Nikias is the current president of the advisory board of the Council for International Relations – Greece.[16] He lectures and moderates panels on the geopolitical storms surrounding semiconductor chips and their supply chain, [17] [18] as well as on cybersecuring democratic elections. [19] He also lectures on the promises of economic growth and ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence (AI),[20][21] and on Xenophon's Cyropaedia: The Art and Adventure of Leadership.[22][23]

  1. ^ "C. L. Max Nikias Named 11th President of USC". USC News. March 11, 2010. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
  2. ^ "Message from Board of Trustees Chairman Rick J. Caruso (August 7, 2018) - Board of Trustees - USC". boardoftrustees.usc.edu. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  3. ^ "Nikias transitions to president emeritus". August 7, 2018.
  4. ^ "Nikias Named New USC Provost". March 24, 2005.
  5. ^ "C. L. Max Nikias Curriculum Vitate". Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  6. ^ "USC Facts and Figures". Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  7. ^ Korn, Melissa (May 22, 2018). "Hundreds of USC Professors Call for President's Ouster". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  8. ^ "200 Professors Call for Ouster of U.S.C. President, Citing Lack of 'Moral Authority'". The New York Times. May 22, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  9. ^ "'Just the Grossest Thing': Women Recall Interactions With U.S.C. Doctor". The New York Times. May 17, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  10. ^ "USC president will step down". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  11. ^ "U.S.C. President Agrees to Step Down Over Scandal Involving Gynecologist". The New York Times. May 25, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  12. ^ "BoT Chair Communication 080718" (PDF). University of Southern California. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  13. ^ "U.S. Department of Education OCR resolution letter" (PDF). February 27, 2020. p. 48. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  14. ^ "Synopsys Appoints Dr. C.L. "Max" Nikias to its Board of Directors". news.synopsys.com. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  15. ^ "Document". www.sec.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  16. ^ "Advisory Board - Council for International Relations". Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  17. ^ "The Global Race for Advanced Semiconductor Chips and the US-China Tech War". Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  18. ^ "The Geopolitical Storm Surrounding Semiconductor Chips". Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  19. ^ "International Conference: Cybersecuring Democracy - CFIR-GR". Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  20. ^ "Nikias Delivers Major Speeches on Artificial Intelligence and Semiconductor Computer Chips – President Emeritus C. L. Max Nikias". presidentemeritus.usc.edu. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  21. ^ "Legislative framework for AI is imperative". Stockwatch - All about the economy. September 27, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  22. ^ "The National Herald".
  23. ^ "Greek Reporter".