Chancellor Folt statement on Board of Trustees vote on honorary degree

I recommended that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees initiate a process via a mail ballot to revoke the honorary degree awarded to Bill Cosby in 2003. This is the first known time that the University has taken steps to rescind an honorary degree, and we do not take this action lightly. In this case, Cosby’s acts were so counter to our campus values that this prestigious honor is no longer appropriate.

Honorary degrees are awarded based on the information available at that time, and we do not intend to review the actions of each recipient years later. The Trustees are reviewing a recommendation to revoke his honorary degree, and they will formally vote on the matter at their regular May meeting.

The University has no tolerance for sexual assault, and we have worked diligently in recent years to comprehensively revise our sexual assault and misconduct policy and enhance resources for our community. We encourage anyone to visit safe.unc.edu for more information.

Carol L. Folt
Chancellor