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It has been two months since officials at the University of Southern California announced that the university’s president, C.L. Max Nikias, would resign. The announcement came after a sustained outcry from faculty, students and alumni over the way the administration dealt with Dr. George Tyndall, a longtime gynecologist accused of inappropriate behavior for decades. The faculty offered a vote of no confidence, and hundreds of top professors publicly called for his resignation.

But while the board of trustees announcedon May 25 that Mr. Nikias “agreed to begin an orderly transition” to a new administration, little has changed on campus this summer. Now, more than 650 professors have signed a letter demanding that he leave before students arrive this month.

“With no follow-up regarding an interim president or a presidential search process, we find ourselves in a state of turmoil and uncertainty,” the letter addressed to the board of trustees said. “President Nikias cannot be the one who stands up to greet the new students at the convocation. If he is, we face the prospect of student protests and walkouts, parent outrage, and a broad public perception that we have gone back on our commitment to accountability and transparency, as the world outside U.S.C. believes he has already resigned.”

Brenda Maceo, the university’s vice president for public relations and marketing, said in an email that Mr. Nikias is on vacation, as is his top deputy, Provost Michael Quick. In their absence, Jim Staten, the chief financial officer of the university, is acting president until Mr. Quick returns, she said.