Category: Speeches & Articles

February 2018C. L. Max NikiasPresident Today, more than ever, higher education is the key to instilling the values that create an open and free society.  This is a role of lasting merit, part of the enduring concept of education as enlightenment, of education that advances civilizations. There is no question that a university education can…Continue Reading State of the University Address

Delivered on October 13, 2017 Good morning!  And welcome to Trojan Family Weekend. I am so delighted all of you are here.  It’s a great privilege to be able to share some time with you. More than 3,600 parents and family members are visiting from 47 states and 21 countries.  Your presence here means so…Continue Reading Trojan Family Weekend

Delivered on June 8, 2017 It’s a privilege for USC to host this important discussion about the business of biotech. I want to recognize USC Civic Engagement for organizing today’s event – Sayles, Paysinger, Escutia. And I want to welcome our colleagues from other colleges and universities, leaders in public service and private business, as…Continue Reading The Business of Biotech

February 2017C. L. Max NikiasPresident Serving as a member of the USC faculty for the past 25 years has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I have always admired our faculty’s competitiveness and ambition; creativity and foresight; collaborative spirit; and commitment to the most sacred values of the academy, which are ancient…Continue Reading State of the University Address

Delivered on August 18, 2016

This ceremony is a rite of passage, an enduring tradition that links the students of today with scholars across time and across continents. Today, we induct you into the academy, and we embrace you as scholars….Continue Reading New Student Convocation

State of the University AddressFebruary 2016C. L. Max NikiasPresident It’s always a great privilege to deliver this annual address. As you know, our faculty is the solid foundation on which all of our successes rest, and I am very proud to report on the incredible progress that has been made. At USC we value all…Continue Reading State of the University Address

BY C. L. MAX NIKIAS, TONY F. CHAN & ANDREA SIRONI Originally published in the Huffington Post on September 17, 2015 Recent history is littered with examples of multinational corporations meeting spectacular failure on the international stage. Too often, cultural misunderstandings of other nations’ customer bases or corporate environments cripple a company’s efforts to enter…Continue Reading Building a New Global Higher Education Model

Delivered on August 20, 2015

Today, we induct you into the academy, and we embrace you as scholars. We have gathered here in this place at a very pivotal moment in your lives, and a very pivotal moment in this university’s history. USC today is one of the academically elite universities, drawing the attention and envy of institutions from every corner of the world….Continue Reading New Student Convocation

BY C. L. MAX NIKIAS Originally published in the Sacramento Bee Op-Ed section on April 8, 2015 Over the past month, hundreds of thousands of California high school seniors have received college acceptance letters. My institution, the University of Southern California, has 2,700 freshman slots and received nearly 52,000 applications – the third most of…Continue Reading Students at private schools need help, too

By C. L. Max Nikias Originally published in The Los Angeles Times Op-Ed section on February 25, 2015 As the Great Recession decimated U.S. job growth, one sector continued to thrive: biotechnology. Encompassing everything from medical device manufacturing to biopharmaceutical development and the latest diagnostic tools, this industry will no doubt frame humanity’s most important…Continue Reading Los Angeles has the right DNA to become biotech hub