Fundraising at USC tumbles amid medical school scandals

LOS ANGELES_The University of Southern California, known nationally for its aggressive fundraising operation, saw contributions tumble in the second half of 2017, a period in which scandals roiled its medical school.

An internal accounting reviewed by the Los Angeles Times shows donations to the university were down nearly $100 million between July and December of last year compared with the same period in 2016. The falloff represents a 22 percent decline and was particularly severe at the Keck School of Medicine, where donations dropped 55 percent, or roughly $45 million.

Two weeks after the accounting period's July 1 start, The Times reported that former Keck dean