Bill Cosby's honorary degree revoked by North Carolina university
.JPG "Bill Cosby departs after his sexual assault trial Thursday, April 26, 2018, at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa. Cosby was convicted Thursday of drugging and molesting a woman in the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era.")
N.C. A&T State University's Board of Trustees voted Friday to revoke an honorary degree awarded to comedian Bill Cosby in 2008.
The action came one day after Cosby was convicted Thursday on three counts of aggravated indecent assault by a jury in Pennsylvania. Dozens of women have accused the entertainer of sexual assault, but Thursday's conviction was the first.
The case involved an employee from Temple University who said she was drugged and assaulted by Cosby in 2004.
Cosby has been placed under house arrest pending his sentencing.
The guilty verdict triggered a number of universities to rescind honorary degrees they had awarded the former TV star, including Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Boston College and Cosby's alma mater, Temple.
N.C. A&T Associate Vice Chancellor Todd Simmons confirmed the trustee action, but said university officials had no statement on the matter. The vote occurred at the trustees' regular meeting Friday.
So far, UNC-Chapel Hill has not acted to rescind a degree given to Cosby in 2003.
UNC spokeswoman Joanne Peters Denny issued a statement Friday: "The University has no tolerance for sexual assault. The University has never revoked an honorary degree, and at this time there is not an established process for doing so. Any action would need to considered through our Governance structure."
Jane Stancill: 919-829-4559, @janestancill
This story was originally published April 27, 2018 at 6:30 PM with the headline "Bill Cosby's honorary degree revoked by North Carolina university."