Muhlenberg College rescinds Cosby honorary degree

Muhlenberg College on Tuesday became the latest school to announced it had rescinded an honorary degree awarded to embattled entertainer Bill Cosby, who has been accused of drugging and sexually assaulting dozens of women.

The board of trustees at the private liberal arts college in Allentown voted to revoke the "Doctor of Humane Letters" degree it awarded to Cosby in 1995 at a meeting last week. In an email to staff, students and others at the college on Tuesday, Richard C. Crist Jr., chair of the board, said the board's action was taken on the grounds that "Cosby's behavior violates the ethics, character and highest aspirations of this college community."

"Substantial and credible information that was unavailable in 1995 has come to light and indicates that the personal conduct of Dr. Cosby substantially and materially offends the college's principles and ideals as set forth in our statement of Fundamental Institutional Values," Crist said in the statement.

Muhlenberg becomes one of several colleges in Pennsylvania to rescind an honorary doctorate to Cosby.

Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster and Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre previously took similar action.

Cosby has collected dozens of honorary doctorates from colleges across the country. Other colleges that have withdrawn the honor from Cosby include Fordham, Marquette, Brown, Tufts and Goucher College.