"The University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees voted today to revoke the honorary degrees previously awarded to retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani," the university said in a statement on Friday.
University President Mark Parlange supported the board's decision, saying that Giuliani and Flynn no longer represented the high level of values and standards of the educational organization.
The university noted that Giuliani had participated in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack and had been stripped of his license to practice law in Washington and the State of New York for his "unfounded claims" about the 2020 US presidential election.
According to the statement, Flynn, in turn, twice admitted that he had lied to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, sought the establishment of "one religion" in the country, and made a statement that could be interpreted as a call for a military coup.
Giuliani was awarded the Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa in 2003 for his leadership shown after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Flynn was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 2014.