Bill Cosby has been stripped off two honorary degrees he received from Fordham and Marquette universities amid allegations of sexual assault from about 35 women.
Marquette University made the official announcement on Sept. 24, Thursday that it is rescinding the degree which was awarded to the veteran comedian in May 2013. The move has been undertaken after Marquette's board of trustees approved a resolution to rescind the degree immediately, The Star reported.
"By his own admission, Mr. Cosby engaged in behaviours that go entirely against our university's mission and the guiding values we have worked so hard to instil on our campus," Marquette President Michael Lovell and Provost Daniel Myers wrote in a letter addressing the Marquette community.
Closely on the heels of Marquette University, Fordham University, also a Jesuit school, that it is nullifying the degree that was awarded to the 78-year-old comedian way back in 2001, The Guardian reported..
Both the Universities announced that this is the first time in their history that such a step has been taken to rescind the awarded degree.
University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the comedian's alma mater, had distanced themselves from him in November when a host of women came forward to claim that they had been assaulted and manhandled by him.
To date, Cosby has been awarded the honorary degrees by 23 colleges and universities. Apart from that, he was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Kennedy Center Honor, Twain Prize, and a Bob Hope Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Science.