Spelman College Dumps Cosby Endowment
According to the Huffington Post and CNN, the William and Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Endowed Professorship has been terminated by Spelman College, a HBCU in Atlanta, Georgia. School officials made the decision and have not released a specific reason for the termination.
The decision took place after CNN obtained a copy of the 2005 deposition, in which Cosby admitted to giving drugs to women with whom he planned to have sex. Although he never admitted to forcing the drugs upon the women, this information was devastating for the comedian’s public image.
Spelman’s communication office said that “related funds have been returned, and there is no further comment,” according to CNN.
Cosby’s two daughters, Erika and Erin, attended Spelman, and his late son, Ennis graduated from Morehouse College.
The endowment was created in the late 1980s when Cosby and his wife donated $20 million dollars to the school. In a statement cited at the time by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a school spokeswoman said that the humanities professorship was established “to bring positive attention and accomplished visiting scholars to Spelman College in order to enhance our intellectual, cultural and creative life.”
In December 2014, Spelman College initially suspended the endowed professorship when Cosby’s rape allegations were growing rapidly.
Cosby’s representatives have not responded to the news.
