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The College of William & Mary board rescinds Bill Cosby’s honorary degree

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ASSOCIATED PRESS / APRIL 23, 2018 FILE PHOTO

Bill Cosby departs after his sexual assault trial at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa. The board of visitors of The College of William & Mary has voted to rescind an honorary degree awarded to comedian and actor Cosby. The board issued a statement Friday, Aug. 10, 2018, saying since it awarded the Masters of Arts degree in 1993, “information came to light and was confirmed that Mr. Cosby engaged in abhorrent conduct antithetical to our university’s core values.”

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. >> The board of visitors of The College of William & Mary has voted to rescind an honorary degree awarded to comedian and actor Bill Cosby.

The board issued a statement Friday saying that since it awarded the Masters of Arts degree in 1993, “information came to light and was confirmed that Mr. Cosby engaged in abhorrent conduct antithetical to our university’s core values.”

Cosby was convicted in April of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and assaulting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004. He faces sentencing Sept. 24.

Several schools have rescinded honorary degrees bestowed on Cosby, including Temple University, his alma mater. In June, three Maryland universities rescinded honorary degrees, as did Northwestern University, the first time in its 167 years.

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