(WKBN) — A post on the Youngstown State University faculty union Facebook page suggests that actor and YSU alum Ed O’Neill plans to return his honorary doctorate after the controversy surrounding the recent hiring of the university’s new president.
The YSU chapter of the Ohio Education Association posted to Facebook Wednesday an article from Ideastream Public Media, which quotes the Youngstown native O’Neill as saying he plans to return his honorary doctorate because Congressman Bill Johnson was selected as YSU’s president.
“I’ve got a doctorate from YSU, an honorary doctorate, that I’m going to give back. I don’t want it,” the article cites O’Neill as saying. “I’m going to start calling it Trump-U. And I think a lot of people feel that way.”
The article says O’Neill believes the majority of the university’s board of trustees were acting on political motivations.
“[The board] should find the right person for the job in a real vetting process, where the teachers and the faculty and the students and the people find someone that they can agree on, or certainly not disagree [with] to this extent,” he said.
O’Neill played football at YSU, earning the Penguin of the Year title in 1996. He received his honorary doctorate in May 2013.
He is best known for his roles on “Married … With Children” and “Modern Family.”
This is a developing story. Check back here for more updates.
