Some alums are pressing Lehigh University to rescind an honorary degree it granted to Donald Trump.
Trump received the degree from the private university in 1988, long before he became President.
Lehigh graduate Kelly McCoy launched a Change.org petition on Tuesday asking the university president to take back the degree. By Wednesday, the petition had more than 13,000 signatures. “The president’s office has now received the petition and it will go through established governance processes,” school spokeswoman Lori Friedman told CNN.
Only the university’s Board of Trustees can rescind or revoke honorary degrees, Friedman said. The board’s next scheduled meeting is October 25.
The school has revoked an honorary degree in the past: Bill Cosby’s in 2015.
“In sworn deposition testimony, Mr. Cosby admitted under oath to behavior that is antithetical to the values of Lehigh University and inconsistent with the character and high standards that honorary degree recipients are expected to exemplify,” the school said in a statement at the time.