University of Southern California

Office of the President

C. L. Max Nikias

USC’s 11th president, C. L. Max Nikias is an accomplished scholar and innovator whose 21 years at USC have been characterized by vision and a talent for seeing and seizing opportunities. From his creation of a multimedia research center and his energetic tenure as dean of engineering, to the pacesetting initiatives he set in motion as USC’s provost, he has helped propel USC toward its goal of becoming one of the most productive and influential research universities in the world.
Read more about President Nikias

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USC President C. L. Max Nikias, USC First Lady Niki C. Nikias, USC Roski School of Fine Arts Namesake Gayle Garner Roski, and USC Board of Trustees Chairman Edward P. Roski Jr.
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From the Office of the President

USC Marshall School of Business Launches $400 Million Fundraising Initiative

Topics: News

From left: USC Trustee Frank Fertitta III, USC Marshall Dean James G. Ellis, USC President C. L. Max Nikias, USC Trustee Thomas Barrack Jr.

From left: USC Trustee Frank Fertitta III, USC Marshall Dean James G. Ellis, USC President C. L. Max Nikias, USC Trustee Thomas Barrack Jr.

The USC Marshall School of Business kicked off the USC Marshall Initiative, a $400 million fundraising drive, with a gala on May 8 that drew some 300 donors, friends, faculty, administrators and students to Warner Bros. Studio, where they were welcomed by Kevin Tsujihara ’86, CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment and host of the event.

At the event, USC President C. L. Max Nikias spoke of USC Marshall’s legacy and its longtime ties to the city of Los Angeles and the global business community.

“For more than 90 years, the Marshall School has been a dynamic cornerstone of USC. The roots of its entrepreneurial DNA can be traced back to USC’s chief founder, Robert Maclay Widney, who is also considered the chief architect of modern Los Angeles,” Nikias said. “Today that entrepreneurial spirit is carried on by the school’s students, faculty and alumni, who take what is taught in the classrooms at USC into boardrooms and businesses around the world.”

The school seeks to raise $400 million to fuel globally relevant programming and opportunities. The funds will support endowments for academic programming, student scholarships and faculty research and teaching in addition to supporting capital projects and other critical priorities. The initiative is part of The Campaign for the University of Southern California, a multiyear effort to secure $6 billion or more in private philanthropy to advance USC’s academic priorities and expand its positive impact on the community and world.

A keynote speech was delivered by USC Trustee Thomas Barrack Jr. ’69,  CEO of Los Angeles – based Colony Capital LLC.  USC Trustee Frank Fertitta III ’84, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas-based Fertitta Entertainment and Station Casinos also gave remarks.

Read the complete article at USC News.

Technology, philanthropy, and social change

Topics: News

Jack Ma and C. L. Max Nikias

Jack Ma, founder of AliBaba, and USC President C. L. Max Nikias

President C. L. Max Nikias was featured in a special program hosted by the Nature Conservancy at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica on Thursday, May 2. The event, titled, “The Nature of Our Future: How Global Interconnectivity Is Driving Social Change and Shaping Our Natural World,” explored how technology and philanthropy can be directed toward solving pressing environmental issues.

Nikias interviewed Jack Ma, founder and outgoing chairman of China’s pioneering e-commerce site, Alibaba Group, about environmental challenges in the world’s most populous nation.   Read full story.

Afternoon Tea with Support Organizations

Topics: News

The Ladies Tea 2013

The Nikias family welcomed members of several support organizations that play a key role in The Trojan Family: Town and Gown of USC, the Association of Trojan Leagues and the Alumnae Coordinating Council. Members of these groups were invited for an afternoon tea on Sunday, April 28, 2013. Trojan spirit was in abundance, colorful hats were optional.

Presidential priorities

  • Transforming USC into a major hub of the emerging Age of the Pacific—by creating trans-Pacific alliances, by fully utilizing Los Angeles as a laboratory for trans-Pacific research, education and culture, and by building the foremost network of Pacific leaders.

  • Ensuring that the USC academic community serves as a key engine of intellectual, economic and cultural progress for the nation, and allowing its vast array of disciplines to be combined creatively in order to catalyze new knowledge and innovation.

  • Ensuring that USC promotes imagination and invention by creating a living and learning environment in which the university’s undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty are fluent in a wide variety of intellectual areas, ranging from classical literary works to the latest digital technologies.

  • Serving the neighborhoods around our two campuses through job creation and quality k-12 education. Further strengthening the legendary traditions of the Trojan Family.

  • Leading USC during the most ambitious fundraising campaign ever announced by an American university. This historic endeavor will raise $6 billion to support USC's faculty and students, as well as its academic priorities, capital projects, and essential infrastructure.