Every spring for decades, a similar scene played out at colleges across the United States: Students picked up their degrees — and Bill Cosby stood alongside them. Schools wanted Mr. Cosby, the popular, education-embracing comedian, to give their commencement address and he routinely showed up, often in a school sweatshirt, offering high fives, hugs and homespun advice. In exchange, universities and colleges gave him honorary degrees in categories like education, public service and law. Few people in American history have been recognized by universities as often as Mr. Cosby, whose publicist once estimated that the entertainer had collected more than 100 honorary degrees. The New York Times, in a quick search, found nearly 60.

October 6, 2015 ・ From The New York Times