Bill Cosby has resigned from the board of trustees of his beloved Temple University following a string of sexual assault allegations against him, it today emerged. The 77-year-old comedian and actor, who had been a trustee since 1982, was a frequent visitor, commencement speaker and attendee at basketball games at his Philadelphia alma mater. But on Monday, he stepped down from his role, saying he was acting in the 'best interests of the university and its students'. His resignation was confirmed in a university statement. Scroll down for video . Resignation: Bill Cosby has resigned from the board of trustees of his beloved Temple University following a string of sexual assault allegations against him, it has emerged. Above, Cosby at a Temple commencement . In the statement, first obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Cosby said: 'I have always been proud of my association with Temple University. 'I have always wanted to do what would be in the best interests of the university and its students. As a result, I have tendered my resignation from the Temple University Board of Trustees.' Patrick O’Connor, chairman of the board of trustees, told AP that Cosby does not want to be a distraction to his colleagues. He added that the board 'accepts Dr. Cosby's resignation from the board and thanks him for his service to the university'. The resignation is believed to be effective immediately. Speech: The 77-year-old comedian and actor, who had been a trustee since 1982, was a frequent visitor, commencement speaker (pictured) and attendee at basketball games at the Philadelphia-based institution . Chatting: Cosby is pictured stopping to talk with a Temple cheerleader as he makes his way to the sidelines . Mr O'Connor had defended Cosby in a 2005 civil suit filed by a former Temple basketball employee, who accused the star of molesting her at his suburban Philadelphia mansion a year earlier. Cosby, who has been with his wife Camille for the last 51 years, and the woman later settled for undisclosed terms. But since the lawsuit was filed, at least 17 other alleged victims have come forward to claim that the star drugged and sexually abused them in decades past. Show: Cosby, pictured performing during a show in Florida on November 21, said he was acting in the 'best interests of the university and its students' The comedian has strongly denied any wrongdoing and has never been criminally charged. His lawyer has previously called the allegations 'unsubstantiated' and 'discredited'. Cosby's decision to resign from the board of trustees reportedly follows a series of high-level talks by university leaders, many of whom had spoken in support of the Temple graduate. It also follows many other universities' decisions to sever ties with the star, who has donated millions of dollars to numerous academic institutions, and has close links to many others. The University of Massachusetts Amherst, where Cosby got his graduate degrees, recently said it had asked him to step down as honorary co-chairman of its $300 million fundraising campaign. And the Berklee College of Music will reportedly no longer award a scholarship in his name. At Temple, an online petition urging the university to cut ties with Cosby had garnered more than 1,000 signatures by Monday afternoon. Temple trustee Anthony McIntyre said the developments presented a 'no-win situation' for everyone involved at the university, which serves around 38,000 undergraduate and graduate students. 'It's a tragedy for all and I'm sure that he did what he felt was best for the school,' Mr McIntyre said. On Saturday, it emerged that Cosby's management has offered refunds for tickets to his shows at Tarrytown Music Hall in New York this weekend, which the comedian still plans to perform. Despite initially claiming the venue could not afford to refund tickets, a spokesman for Cosby later revealed reimbursements would be possible. Previous dismissal: The University of Massachusetts Amherst, where Cosby got his graduate degrees, recently said it had asked him to step down as honorary co-chairman of its $300million fundraising scheme. Above, Cosby sits beside UMass President William Bulger (left) at a commencement at Boston College . Couple: Cosby, who strongly denies the allegations against him, has been with his wife Camille for 51 years . 'Mr Cosby's management is now allowing for refunds for any patron's (sic) that do not wish to attend the show. Please let me know if I may cancel and refund your order,' the Music Hall box office told ticket holders in an email on Friday, according to Gothamist. A number of other theaters have cancelled Cosby's listing, leaving him with 30 shows until spring 2015. Meanwhile, Netflix and NBC have pulled the entertainer's projects. Among the women to have accused Cosby of assault are Barbara Bowman, who told MailOnline the star drugged and raped her in 1985, when she was a 17-year-old aspiring actress. Andrea Constand - A Temple University employee, she claimed in 2006 that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in his Philadelphia-area mansion two years earlier. Cosby eventually settled this suit out of court as the prosecution said they had 13 Jane Does who would testify Cosby did the same to them in the past. Barbara Bowman - Bowman told MailOnline that Cosby raped and drugged her back in 1985 when she was a 17-year-old aspiring actress. Bowman was one of the 13 Jane Does in the 2006 trial against Cosby. Joan Tarshis - Tarshis claimed that she was just 19-years-old when Cosby drugged and raped her twice in Hollywood back in 1969 while she was working as a writer for him. Janice Dickinson - The supermodel (pictured right) said in an interview that Cosby asked her to come to Lake Tahoe and talk about a television role in 1982, but ended up drugging and raping her. Tamara Green - Green, who first came forward in 2005 told MailOnline that she was an aspiring actress in the 1970s when Cosby gave her pills and pretended to care for her while she had the flu, but instead sexually assaulted her. Therese Serignese - Also one of the 13 Jane Does, she says she was 19 when Cosby drugged and raped her in Las Vegas after one of his shows. Louisa Moritz - She accused Cosby of sexual assault, saying he once forced her into oral sex, backstage at The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1971, and implied he would further her career if she went through with it. Linda Joy Traitz - She said earlier this week that she was just 19 when Cosby drove her out to a beach and tried to get her to take pills to relax, before becoming 'sexually aggressive'. Traitz, of Hallandale Beach, Florida, has been charged in the past with trafficking pills. Cosby's attorney, Marty Singer, is trying to use Traitz's past to discredit her claims against his client. Beth Ferrier - Beth Ferrier claims she had relationship with Cosby in the mid-1980s. She claims that she awoke in her car with her clothes in disarray and not remembering what had happened. Ferrier has claimed that he drugged her coffee. Carla Ferrigno - The wife of Incredible Hulk star Lou Ferrigno, claims Cosby tried to sexually assault her during a gathering at his house in 1967. What's more, Cosby allegedly tried to use a friend to help court Ferrigno, and allegedly made his move on the former Playboy Bunny just moments after his own wife, Camille, left the room. Angela Leslie - The former model-actress claims that Cosby forced her to masturbate him in his Vegas hotel suite after giving her a strong drink in 1992. Renita Chainey Hill - The 47-year-old mother-of-three who met Cosby when she was offered a role on Picture Pages in Pittsburgh claimed he would fly her to different cities around the United States and drug her during a four-year relationship. Kristina Ruehli - A New Hampshire grandmother-of-eight, now 71, claims Cosby invited her back to his house for 'party'. She arrived and no one was there. Ruehli alleges that he drugged two bourbons he poured her and she came to when he was on top of her, shirtless. Victoria Valentino - The former Playboy playmate claims Cosby drugged her and a friend, tried to rape her friend then violated her instead in a Hollywood apartment after dinner. Jewel Allison - The former model accused Cosby of drugging her wine and making her feel his genitals before kissing her during a dinner at his home in the late Eighties. Michelle Hurd: The 47-year-old actress, best known for her roles on Law & Order: SVU and Gossip Girl, revealed she was a stand-in on the set of The Cosby Show when Cosby started acting inappropriately around her. In a Facebook post this weekend, she described being touched in ways she did not like and being asked to eat lunch with him in his dressing room. Then, things became too much for Hurd. 'I dodged the ultimate bullet with him when he asked me to come to his house, take a shower so we could blow dry my hair and see what it looked like straightened,' she says. 'At that point my own red flags went off and I told him, "No, I’ll just come to work tomorrow with my hair straightened'''. Joyce Emmons: The former comedy club manager claims she woke up naked next to a friend of Bill Cosby after the comedian gave her a sedative when she complained of a migraine. Joyce Emmons told TMZ that the comedian slipped her Quaalude when she was in his Las Vegas hotel suite in the 1970s. She claims Cosby drugged her but has not accused him of sexual assault. Lachele Covington: The 20-year-old actress, who’d been an extra on the TV show Cosby, filed a police report in March 2000 against the star, accusing him of making an unwelcome sexual advance. According to The New York Post, after dinner and drinks at his home, he massaged her then 'guided her hand towards his sweatpants'. Cosby denied the claim and no charges were filed.
Bill Cosby, 77, resigned from Temple University's trustee board Monday .
Declared he was acting in the 'best interests of university and students'
Officials accepted resignation and thanked him for 'service to university'
Comedian had been trustee since 1982 and often visited the institution .
Comes amid sexual assault claims against star from at least 18 women .
Cosby has denied any wrongdoing; has never been criminally charged .
Bill Cosby has resigned from the board of trustees of his beloved Temple University following a string of sexual assault allegations against him, it today emerged. The 77-year-old comedian and actor, who had been a trustee since 1982, was a frequent visitor, commencement speaker and attendee at basketball games at his Philadelphia alma mater. But on Monday, he stepped down from his role, saying he was acting in the 'best interests of the university and its students'. His resignation was confirmed in a university statement. Scroll down for video . Resignation: Bill Cosby has resigned from the board of trustees of his beloved Temple University following a string of sexual assault allegations against him, it has emerged. Above, Cosby at a Temple commencement . In the statement, first obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Cosby said: 'I have always been proud of my association with Temple University. 'I have always wanted to do what would be in the best interests of the university and its students. As a result, I have tendered my resignation from the Temple University Board of Trustees.' Patrick O’Connor, chairman of the board of trustees, told AP that Cosby does not want to be a distraction to his colleagues. He added that the board 'accepts Dr. Cosby's resignation from the board and thanks him for his service to the university'. The resignation is believed to be effective immediately. Speech: The 77-year-old comedian and actor, who had been a trustee since 1982, was a frequent visitor, commencement speaker (pictured) and attendee at basketball games at the Philadelphia-based institution . Chatting: Cosby is pictured stopping to talk with a Temple cheerleader as he makes his way to the sidelines . Mr O'Connor had defended Cosby in a 2005 civil suit filed by a former Temple basketball employee, who accused the star of molesting her at his suburban Philadelphia mansion a year earlier. Cosby, who has been with his wife Camille for the last 51 years, and the woman later settled for undisclosed terms. But since the lawsuit was filed, at least 17 other alleged victims have come forward to claim that the star drugged and sexually abused them in decades past. Show: Cosby, pictured performing during a show in Florida on November 21, said he was acting in the 'best interests of the university and its students' The comedian has strongly denied any wrongdoing and has never been criminally charged. His lawyer has previously called the allegations 'unsubstantiated' and 'discredited'. Cosby's decision to resign from the board of trustees reportedly follows a series of high-level talks by university leaders, many of whom had spoken in support of the Temple graduate. It also follows many other universities' decisions to sever ties with the star, who has donated millions of dollars to numerous academic institutions, and has close links to many others. The University of Massachusetts Amherst, where Cosby got his graduate degrees, recently said it had asked him to step down as honorary co-chairman of its $300 million fundraising campaign. And the Berklee College of Music will reportedly no longer award a scholarship in his name. At Temple, an online petition urging the university to cut ties with Cosby had garnered more than 1,000 signatures by Monday afternoon. Temple trustee Anthony McIntyre said the developments presented a 'no-win situation' for everyone involved at the university, which serves around 38,000 undergraduate and graduate students. 'It's a tragedy for all and I'm sure that he did what he felt was best for the school,' Mr McIntyre said. On Saturday, it emerged that Cosby's management has offered refunds for tickets to his shows at Tarrytown Music Hall in New York this weekend, which the comedian still plans to perform. Despite initially claiming the venue could not afford to refund tickets, a spokesman for Cosby later revealed reimbursements would be possible. Previous dismissal: The University of Massachusetts Amherst, where Cosby got his graduate degrees, recently said it had asked him to step down as honorary co-chairman of its $300million fundraising scheme. Above, Cosby sits beside UMass President William Bulger (left) at a commencement at Boston College . Couple: Cosby, who strongly denies the allegations against him, has been with his wife Camille for 51 years . 'Mr Cosby's management is now allowing for refunds for any patron's (sic) that do not wish to attend the show. Please let me know if I may cancel and refund your order,' the Music Hall box office told ticket holders in an email on Friday, according to Gothamist. A number of other theaters have cancelled Cosby's listing, leaving him with 30 shows until spring 2015. Meanwhile, Netflix and NBC have pulled the entertainer's projects. Among the women to have accused Cosby of assault are Barbara Bowman, who told MailOnline the star drugged and raped her in 1985, when she was a 17-year-old aspiring actress. Andrea Constand - A Temple University employee, she claimed in 2006 that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in his Philadelphia-area mansion two years earlier. Cosby eventually settled this suit out of court as the prosecution said they had 13 Jane Does who would testify Cosby did the same to them in the past. Barbara Bowman - Bowman told MailOnline that Cosby raped and drugged her back in 1985 when she was a 17-year-old aspiring actress. Bowman was one of the 13 Jane Does in the 2006 trial against Cosby. Joan Tarshis - Tarshis claimed that she was just 19-years-old when Cosby drugged and raped her twice in Hollywood back in 1969 while she was working as a writer for him. Janice Dickinson - The supermodel (pictured right) said in an interview that Cosby asked her to come to Lake Tahoe and talk about a television role in 1982, but ended up drugging and raping her. Tamara Green - Green, who first came forward in 2005 told MailOnline that she was an aspiring actress in the 1970s when Cosby gave her pills and pretended to care for her while she had the flu, but instead sexually assaulted her. Therese Serignese - Also one of the 13 Jane Does, she says she was 19 when Cosby drugged and raped her in Las Vegas after one of his shows. Louisa Moritz - She accused Cosby of sexual assault, saying he once forced her into oral sex, backstage at The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1971, and implied he would further her career if she went through with it. Linda Joy Traitz - She said earlier this week that she was just 19 when Cosby drove her out to a beach and tried to get her to take pills to relax, before becoming 'sexually aggressive'. Traitz, of Hallandale Beach, Florida, has been charged in the past with trafficking pills. Cosby's attorney, Marty Singer, is trying to use Traitz's past to discredit her claims against his client. Beth Ferrier - Beth Ferrier claims she had relationship with Cosby in the mid-1980s. She claims that she awoke in her car with her clothes in disarray and not remembering what had happened. Ferrier has claimed that he drugged her coffee. Carla Ferrigno - The wife of Incredible Hulk star Lou Ferrigno, claims Cosby tried to sexually assault her during a gathering at his house in 1967. What's more, Cosby allegedly tried to use a friend to help court Ferrigno, and allegedly made his move on the former Playboy Bunny just moments after his own wife, Camille, left the room. Angela Leslie - The former model-actress claims that Cosby forced her to masturbate him in his Vegas hotel suite after giving her a strong drink in 1992. Renita Chainey Hill - The 47-year-old mother-of-three who met Cosby when she was offered a role on Picture Pages in Pittsburgh claimed he would fly her to different cities around the United States and drug her during a four-year relationship. Kristina Ruehli - A New Hampshire grandmother-of-eight, now 71, claims Cosby invited her back to his house for 'party'. She arrived and no one was there. Ruehli alleges that he drugged two bourbons he poured her and she came to when he was on top of her, shirtless. Victoria Valentino - The former Playboy playmate claims Cosby drugged her and a friend, tried to rape her friend then violated her instead in a Hollywood apartment after dinner. Jewel Allison - The former model accused Cosby of drugging her wine and making her feel his genitals before kissing her during a dinner at his home in the late Eighties. Michelle Hurd: The 47-year-old actress, best known for her roles on Law & Order: SVU and Gossip Girl, revealed she was a stand-in on the set of The Cosby Show when Cosby started acting inappropriately around her. In a Facebook post this weekend, she described being touched in ways she did not like and being asked to eat lunch with him in his dressing room. Then, things became too much for Hurd. 'I dodged the ultimate bullet with him when he asked me to come to his house, take a shower so we could blow dry my hair and see what it looked like straightened,' she says. 'At that point my own red flags went off and I told him, "No, I’ll just come to work tomorrow with my hair straightened'''. Joyce Emmons: The former comedy club manager claims she woke up naked next to a friend of Bill Cosby after the comedian gave her a sedative when she complained of a migraine. Joyce Emmons told TMZ that the comedian slipped her Quaalude when she was in his Las Vegas hotel suite in the 1970s. She claims Cosby drugged her but has not accused him of sexual assault. Lachele Covington: The 20-year-old actress, who’d been an extra on the TV show Cosby, filed a police report in March 2000 against the star, accusing him of making an unwelcome sexual advance. According to The New York Post, after dinner and drinks at his home, he massaged her then 'guided her hand towards his sweatpants'. Cosby denied the claim and no charges were filed.
string of sexual assault allegations against him, actor, who had been a trustee since 1982, was a his role, saying he was acting in the 'best Bill Cosby has resigned from the board of tendered my resignation from the Temple for his service to the university'. The students' The comedian has strongly denied any wrongdoing and has never been criminally charged.