Bill Cosby has professorship discontinued by women's college following allegations of rape and sexual assault

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice

A leading liberal arts college in America has ended a decades-long relationship with Bill Cosby, cancelling his professorship and returning his donation money amid the continued allegations of rape and sexual assault levied against the comedian.

Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, has discontinued its endowed professorship with Cosby, which has been running since 1988 when the comedian and his wife Camille donated $20 million to the institute.

Spokesperson Audrey Arthur told USA Today: “The William and Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Endowed Professorship at Spelman College has been discontinued and related funds have been returned to the Clara Elizabeth Jackson Carter Foundation.”

The newspaper reports that Spelman, a college for women of African descent, indefinitely suspended the professorship in December, but has not decided to discontinue the progamme until now.

For months, dozens of women have come forward to accuse Cosby, now 78, of a series of sexual assaults dating back to the 1970s and 1980s, many of which involve the comedian drugging women before assaulting them.

The New York Times recently published a deposition from Cosby in a case from 2005, which was settled privately, in which he admitted to acquiring drugs to give to women with the intent to have sex with them, though he claims it was consensual.

More than a dozen women have now accused Cosby of sexual assault and the comedian is set to face a sexual assault lawsuit after the Supreme Court in California rejected his bid to stop the case from proceeding.

Cosby is accused of sexually assaulting Judy Huth at the Playboy Mansion in 1974 when she was 15 years old.

Cosby has never been charged criminally and denies all allegations.