The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has rescinded an honorary degree it awarded to rapper and disgraced firebrand and unofficial presidential candidate Kanye West in 2015, marking the first time the institution has invalidated such a degree in its 80-year history, Artnet reports. “As an institution of higher education, we know we must uphold a higher standard in protecting freedom of expression,” SAIC President Elissa Tenny wrote in an email to colleagues today. “Though we firmly believe in the right to express a diversity of opinions and beliefs, the severity of his behavior made it clear that rescinding this honor was appropriate.”