Bill Cosby is one of the largest donors to HBCU’s and other colleges. He and his wife are well known in the circles of higher education. But now even that legacy is being tarnished by the resurfacing of rape allegations from decades ago. Cosby has stepped down from the Board of Trustees of his beloved alma mater Temple University in his hometown of Philadelphia, PA.
Cosby has been a member of the Temple University Board of Trustees for over 32 years and his leaving is an emotional blow to the comedian. Cosby issued the following statement on Monday,
“I have always been proud of my association with Temple University. I have always wanted to do what would be in the best interests of the university and its students. As a result, I have tendered my resignation from the Temple University Board of Trustees.”
There was a “Change.org” petition started by Temple University graduate Kerry Potter McCormick demanding the university cut ties with Cosby over his rape allegations. McCormick pointed out Temple is one of several dozen schools cited for mishandling sexual abuse cases of students. McCormick stated, “You’re under investigation, and you’re having an alleged serial rapist continue to sit on your board of trustees…That’s outrageous.” The petition has had 869 signatures in six days.
Several other universities have taken action against Cosby including:
- University of Massachusetts Amherst asked Cosby to step down from its board of trustees
- Berklee College of Music in Boston has removed Cosby’s name from an online scholarship
- High Point University in North Carolina temporarily removed Cosby from its advisory board
- Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee last week canceled his appearance at a fundraiser
