The university also said in a statement that it is terminating a 2016 gift agreement with the disgraced music mogul and returning his $1 million contribution.
Howard University has rescinded the honorary degree previously awarded to Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
The historically black college and university (HBCU) made this decision public on Friday, June 7, following disturbing revelations of Combs’ past behavior. A 2016 hotel surveillance video showed Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura. On top of that, Combs is currently facing several ongoing sexual assault lawsuits.
A representative for Howard University stated on the university’s website that their Board of Trustees “voted unanimously today to accept the return by Mr. Sean Combs of the honorary degree conferred upon him in 2014.”
Furthermore, the university mentioned that this decision revokes all honors and privileges associated with the degree. His name will also be removed from any documents and lists of honorary degree recipients maintained by the university.
Addressing the troubling video, the spokesperson continued: “Mr. Combs’ behavior, as captured in the recently released video, is fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs. Therefore, he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor.”
“Howard University stands firmly against all forms of interpersonal violence,” the statement added.
In addition to the revocation of his honorary degree, Howard announced that it is terminating a 2016 gift agreement with Combs and dissolving the scholarship program established in his name. The university will return the $1 million he gifted and cancel the pledge agreement made last year with the Sean Combs Foundation.
Howard clarified that “No payments toward the $1 million pledge have been due or made by the Sean Combs Foundation as of this date,” meaning there are no funds to return for the 2023 pledge agreement.
Reps for Combs were approached for comments but have not yet responded.
Combs was briefly a business administration student at Howard University before he left to pursue a career at Uptown Records in the early ’90s.
The recently surfaced surveillance video obtained by CNN on May 20 illustrates Combs grabbing Ventura by the neck, pulling her to the ground, and violently kicking her. He continued the assault even after she lay motionless on the ground, kicking her again before dragging her towards their hotel room and then walking away. At one point, he threw an object at her.
Following the video’s release, Diddy publicly apologized on Instagram, expressing his disgust at his actions. Ventura also released her own statement on social media, highlighting that: “Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down into someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from the past.” This incident was also part of her now-settled lawsuit filed against Combs last November.
Since then, multiple other women have come forward with their own sexual assault allegations against Combs, with the sixth lawsuit filed just last month.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential, with services available 24/7 in over 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to connect with a certified crisis counselor.
