Drexel and Penn at odds on Cosby degrees
Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania share the same West Philadelphia neighborhood, but their stands on honorary degrees they awarded to embattled entertainer Bill Cosby are decidedly different.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/MW63BXADKRAULCUX2AKJGSB77I.jpg)
Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania share the same West Philadelphia neighborhood, but their stands on honorary degrees they awarded to embattled entertainer Bill Cosby are decidedly different.
Joining a growing number of universities across the country, Drexel on Thursday revoked the degree it gave to Cosby in 1992.
"The misconduct by Bill Cosby that came to light through his sworn deposition testimony stands in clear opposition to Drexel's values," Drexel president John A. 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," he wrote. "Drexel takes that responsibility very seriously, and the decision to revoke Mr. Cosby's honorary degree flows from that responsibility."
The University of Pennsylvania has opted not to act on Cosby, who has been accused by dozens of women of drugging and sexually assaulting them over decades, including an alleged incident at the Penn Relays in 2004.
"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.
Brown, Fordham, Marquette, Tufts, the University of San Francisco, Baylor, Lehigh, and Wilkes Universities and Goucher, Muhlenberg, and Franklin and Marshall Colleges also have revoked Cosby degrees. Temple, Cosby's alma mater, is among universities that have not taken action.
215-854-4693 @ssnyderinq