UPenn Revoking Honorary Degrees for Steve Wynn and Bill Cosby

Steve Wynn shown in 2008. (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Disgraced casino and hotel billionaire Steve Wynn — who resigned his position as finance chairman for the Republican National Committee amid multiple accusations of sexual assault and misconduct — is on the way to becoming persona non grata at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Daily Pennsylvanian is reporting today that the Ivy League school will revoke Wynn’s honorary degree, remove the name “Wynn Commons” from a public area of campus and strike his name from a scholarship fund.

This is the first time in 100 years that the school has taken back an honorary degree.

“The nature, severity, and extent of these allegations, and the patterns of abusive behavior they describe, involve acts and conduct that are inimical to the core values of our University,” Chair of Penn’s Board of Trustees David Cohen and President Amy Gutmann wrote in an email to the Penn community, per the DP.

The school also announced a reversal of policy on Bill Cosby, revoking his honorary degree. UPenn had previously declined to revoke the degree given to Cosby, who is famously associated with another Philadelphia school, Temple.

Cosby is scheduled to stand trial on sexual assault charges sometime this spring.

Earlier this week, the University of Iowa announced plans to remove Wynn’s name from its Carver College of Medicine. That would also mark the first time UI has removed a donor name from a building.