Bill Cosby has resigned from his position on the board of Temple University, his alma mater, in light of the recent flood of rape allegations made against the comedian.

Bill Cosby Resigns From Temple University Board of Trustees

Cosby, 77, finally resigned from his position on the Board of Trustees at Temple University, a position he has held since 1982, 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,” Cosby said in a statement released through Temple.

Cosby attended Temple University in the ‘60s before leaving to pursue a career in comedy, and the school has stood by him for the past 30 years, despite numerous claims of sexual assault and Temple’s own employee, Andrea Constand. Constand, who later settled with Cosby before trial for an undisclosed amount, was the first to publicly accuse Crosby and filed a civil suit in 2005 after the police and Philadelphia district attorney chose not to pursue criminal charges. Constrand alleged that Cosby had invited her to his home in January of 2004 and proceeded to drug and rape her. Her suit inspired 13 women to come forward as Jane Doe witnesses in the case, all willing to testify about similar experiences they had with Cosby.

Despite the lawsuit, Cosby remained on the Board of Trustees at Temple University. In the past month, as old allegations against Cosby have resurfaced and new claims of assault have come to light, Temple University has been asked to sever ties with the comedian. Alumnus Kerry Potter McCormick started a Change.org petition demanding the university to remove Cosby from the board.

“It’s time for Temple University to sever its ties with this man. Temple should not be the last organization to end its relationship with Bill Cosby – it should have happened in 2005 when the allegations against him first began to surface,” wrote McCormick.

Until Monday, Temple University was standing by Cosby. In October, Cosby was reelected for a four-year term on the board, and a university spokesman publicly stated Cosby was still a Temple trustee on Nov. 20. The decision to remove Cosby from the board comes after several other colleges cut ties with the comedian.

UMass, Berklee School of Music Sever Ties With Cosby

On Wednesday, Nov. 26, The Berklee School of Music and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst both ended relationships with Cosby. Cosby, who graduated from UMass-Amherst in 1977 with a Doctor of Education degree, was a frequent donor to the school and helped raise $1.5 million for the school in 2004. The school publicly announced they had ended their relationship with Cosby on Nov. 28, after receiving an open letter from Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who encouraged the school to end its relationship with Cosby.

“Although Mr. Cosby has not been criminally charged nor convicted for these actions, the UMass community has discretion to determine who should be the ‘face’ of the university at any time.… I believe the volume and disturbing nature of these allegations has reached a point where Mr. Cosby should no longer have a formal role at UMass, nor be involved in its fund-raising efforts, unless or until Mr. Cosby is able to satisfactorily respond to these allegations,” Coakley wrote.

The Berklee College of Music, which awarded Cosby an honorary degree, also publicly ended relations with Cosby, announcing it would no longer be offering a scholarship with the comedian’s name. High Point University of North Carolina has also asked Cosby to vacate his position on their national board of advisers.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.