Drexel revokes Cosby degree

Drexel University on Thursday joined a growing number of colleges across the country that have revoked honorary degrees to embattled entertainer Bill Cosby.
Drexel President John A. Fry announced the decision and said he made it in consultation with the executive committee of Drexel's board of trustees.
"The misconduct by Bill Cosby that came to light through his sworn deposition testimony stands in clear opposition to Drexel's values," Fry wrote to the Drexel community Thursday. "Universities are critical arenas in the movement to recognize and address sexual violence and misconduct as a societal problem. Drexel takes that responsibility very seriously, and the decision to revoke Mr. Cosby's honorary degree flows from that responsibility."
Drexel awarded the degree to Cosby in 1992, long before allegations became public that he drugged and sexually assaulted dozens of women over decades.
Brown, Fordham, Marquette, Tufts, the University of San Francisco, Baylor, Lehigh, and Wilkes Universities and Goucher, Muhlenberg, and Franklin and Marshall Colleges already have revoked honorary degrees they gave to Cosby, who for decades enjoyed a reputation as America's favorite TV dad.
Other universities, including Temple, Cosby's alma mater, have taken no action.
The University of Pennsylvania, just nextdoor to Drexel in West Philadelphia, last week opted not to act.
"While the allegations against Mr. Cosby are deeply troubling, it is not our practice to rescind honorary degrees," said Stephen J. MacCarthy, Penn's vice president of university communications.