Bill Cosby’s record of big donations to colleges and other institutions has been a key part of his rosy public image.

But even his generosity cannot stand apart from the rising tide of allegations made by women accusing him of sexual assault.

The University of Massachusetts-Amherst announced it cut ties with its alumnus Cosby amid the allegations.

A university spokesman told the Boston Globe officials had asked Cosby to step down as an honorary co-chairman of their $300 million fund-raising campaign and Cosby agreed.

Cosby’s legacy of giving is decades-old and extensive

He received a master’s degree and a doctorate in education from the university. Cosby and his wife also donated several hundred thousand dollars to the university.

Massachusetts attorney general Martha Coakley sent a letter to the university urging it to cut ties with Cosby.

Coakley said while Cosby had not been criminally charged, his association sends the wrong message when the state is focused on the prevention of campus sexual assault.

Cosby’s lawyer has called the allegations “unsubstantiated” and “discredited”.

Other educational institutions have also taken action.

A North Carolina school, High Point University, removed the 77-year-old entertainer from its National Board of Advisors, a panel that includes retired Gen. Colin Powell.

The Berklee College of Music said in a statement that it is “no longer awarding an online scholarship in Cosby’s name”.

But an expert says that sinsce Cosby has not been charged yet, institutions might be hesitant to take any more action.

“I don’t want to belittle the implications of the accusations, but nothing has been proven and he has not been charged,” said Michael Chatman, a philanthropy expert and founder of a speakers’ bureau on the field.

Recipients of Cosby largesse are likely to adopt a wait-and-see attitude because of that, he said.

If there was to be a verdict in a criminal or civil case, “I think you would see a devastating effect in terms of his philan-thropic and charitable legacy,” Chatman said.

It’s unlikely an institution would return a donation, he said, but new recipients could be expected to carefully weigh the implications of accepting money.

There was no response from Cosby’s publicist to a request for comment. His attorney, Martin Singer, has accused the media of vilifying the actor and comedian once known as ‘America’s dad’ for his role as a loving patriarch on the hit sitcom The Cosby Show.

Cosby’s legacy of giving is decades-old and extensive, topped by a $20 million gift to Spelman College in 1988 and including, among many other donations, $3 million to the Morehouse School of Medicine; $1 million in 2004 to the US National Slavery Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia; and $2 million from Cosby’s wife, Camille, to St Frances Academy in Baltimore in 2005.

According to Internal Revenue Service filings, more than $800,000 in scholarship grants were given through the William and Camille Cosby Foundation from July 2000 to June 2013.

Earlier this month, the Cosbys loaned works from their extensive collection of African-American art to the Smithsonian Institution as part of a National Museum of African Art exhibit scheduled to remain on view through early 2016.

In a statement, the museum said it was aware of the controversy surrounding Cosby.

“Exhibiting this important collection does not imply any position on the serious allegations that have been made against Cosby. The exhibition is centrally about the artworks and the artists who created them,” the museum said.

There have been no discussions about any changes surrounding Cosby’s gift to Spelman, the woman’s college in Georgia, according to Audrey Arthur, spokeswoman for Spelman.

At the time, it was the largest donation ever by a black donor to a historically black college, which later established an academic centre named for Camille Cosby and an endowed professorship for visiting scholars in Cosby’s name.

Temple University said Cosby remains a trustee of the Philadelphia institution, a position he’s held since 1982. He is considered its most famous alum and has often spoken at commencement, drawing huge cheers.

A Temple spokesman confirmed the campus has no buildings named for Cosby but does offer a $3,000 science scholarship named for Cosby and his wife. He declined further comment on Cosby’s philanthropy.

In 2006, Cosby settled a lawsuit filed by a former Temple employee who alleged he drugged and fondled her at his suburban Philadelphia mansion. Cosby was represented by Patrick O’Connor, chairman of Temple’s board of trustees.