Dec 02, 2014 02:07 PM EST By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Bill Cosby has resigned as a trustee of his alma mater, Temple University, after being hit with a wave of sexual assault accusations, the Associated Press reported.

The 77-year-old entertainer stepped down Monday from a position he's has held since 1982.

"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," Cosby said in a statement released by the university.

In the last month, more than a dozen women have come forward and accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, some cases date back to the 1970s, CNN reported.  

Patrick O'Connor, chairman of Temple University's Board of Trustees, told Reuters Cosby called him on Monday to resign.

"He didn't want his personal issue to detract from his service to Temple," O'Connor said. "He was a great trustee. I thanked him for his service."

Cosby has denied the allegations through his attorney, and he has not been charged in connection with any of them.

"The new, never-before-heard claims from women who have come forward in the past two weeks with unsubstantiated, fantastical stories about things they say occurred 30, 40, or even 50 years ago have escalated far past the point of absurdity," Martin Singer, Cosby's Lawyer, said in a statement issued Friday in response to the accusations and published by the Associated Press.

Singer also said the accusations are "becoming increasingly ridiculous" and "illogical," Campus Reform reported.

"It is long past time for this media vilification of Mr. Cosby to stop," Singer said.

Cosby is best known for playing Dr. Cliff Huxtable on the TV sitcom "The Cosby Show."

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