Press Release
The historic Pancyprian Gymnasium will host the presentation of the memoirs of an immigrant, tracing the rise of USC and the renewal of American higher education.
C. L. Max Nikias, President Emeritus and Life Trustee of the University of Southern California, will present his memoir, American Trojan: Leadership, Resilience, and the Renewal of Higher Education. The gathering will take place on Thursday, October 15 under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides. The evening will include a cocktail reception and book signing from 18:00 to 19:00, followed by the formal presentation from 19:00 to 20:00.
The evening is organized with the leadership of Kyriacos Kokkinos. Remarks about the author will be delivered by Pavlos Pavlou, journalist and president of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (RIK); Kyriacos Kokkinos, former Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy; and Marios Eliades, attorney.
The book
Published by Encounter Books, “American Trojan” is the story of a refugee who lost everything - an immigrant who defied the odds and achieved the American Dream; a pioneering engineer who rose to lead one of America’s foremost private research universities.
Born in Komi Kebir, dr. Nikias and his wife, Niki, crossed the Atlantic after the 1974 invasion of Cyprus, with very little. From a graduate student, he went on to become a pioneering researcher and a collaborator on research programmes with the U.S. Navy. He served as the 11th President of the University of Southern California (USC) from 2010 to 2018. Under his leadership, the university’s academic standing, campus infrastructure and facilities, as well as its capacity to attract philanthropic support, were strengthened.
The themes of the Nicosia evening will be those that run through the book: the refugee-immigrant American Dream; resilience as the indispensable foundation of leadership; the leadership lessons drawn from a career spanning science, university leadership, and public life; the rise of USC; and the imperative to renew American higher education.
Distinguished endorsements
“American Trojan” has been endorsed by an unusual constellation of American and Hellenic leaders:
“Max Nikias is a fantastic leader and a great friend. His story is the embodiment of the American Dream. … In American Trojan, Max shows what real leadership looks like.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger, 38th Governor of California
“An inspiring account of how a brilliant young engineer from Cyprus came to embody the American dream. … A remarkable life, told with clarity, conviction, and heart.” - Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. Army (Ret.); former CENTCOM Commander and CIA Director
“This memoir is the story of the American dream. Max Nikias arrived here with nothing but smarts and charm from his old-world home country, which was in the midst of a terrible war.” - Robert C. O’Brien, 27th U.S. National Security Advisor
“In this gripping memoir, former USC president Max Nikias charts his remarkable odyssey from a small village in Cyprus to the presidency of the University of Southern California, when the campus rose to be ranked among the nation’s top universities.” - Victor Davis Hanson, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
“The pantheon of Greek epics has a new entry – “American Trojan”… In part a story of immigrant success, in part a first-hand account of events and trends that shaped America, this book is an invaluable guide during this tipping point in American history.” - Endy Zemenides, executive director, Hellenic American Leadership Council
“As a fellow Cypriot, I was deeply moved by Max Nikias’s journey - from the tragedy of losing everything during the invasion of Cyprus to rising as a transformative figure in American higher education. His story is not only a testament to the strength of the immigrant spirit but also a blueprint for bold and principled leadership in challenging times.” - Kyriacos Papastylianou, president, Federation of Cypriot American Organizations
About C. L. Max Nikias
Chrysostomos Loizos “Max” Nikias served as the 11th president of the University of Southern California, a position he held from August 3, 2010, to August 7, 2018. He is currently the president Emeritus and Life Trustee of the University and the holder of the Malcolm R. Currie Chair in Technology and the Humanities.
He joined USC in 1991, and in addition to his work as a professor, he served as director of a media center, Dean of the School of Engineering, provost, and president of the university. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors. He is the recipient of the UNICEF Spirit of Compassion Award and the Academic Leadership Award of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
He is recognized internationally for his pioneering research in digital signal processing and digital media. The U.S. Department of War has adopted a number of his innovations and patents in sonar, radar and communication systems.
He earned his diploma from the National Technical University of Athens and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
For RSVP, please contact Ms Maria Soteriou at soterioum@sppmedia by 9 October 2026.
