The longtime president of Bard College has announced his retirement, months after it was revealed that he had a much deeper relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein than was previously known.
Leon Botstein is retiring from the institution he led for half a century after revelations about his well-documented relationship with Epstein came to light. Botstein, 79, will retire at the end of June, he wrote in a lengthy letter to the campus community.

A Half-Century of Leadership Ending Under a Shadow

Botstein has served as Bard’s president since 1975. His tenure transformed the small Hudson Valley liberal arts school into a nationally recognized institution, and he recently completed a $1 billion endowment campaign. But the final chapter of his presidency has been defined by his connections to Epstein. CNBC
The college’s Board of Trustees commissioned the law firm WilmerHale in February after Botstein’s name appeared thousands of times in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Epstein Library. The firm delivered its report to trustees just one day before Botstein’s retirement announcement.

What the Independent Review Found

The review found that the president did not do anything illegal, but “made decisions in the course of that relationship that reflect on his leadership of Bard.” The report also noted that Botstein “minimized and was not fully accurate” in describing his relationship with Epstein in public statements. CBS News
The firm found that Botstein’s contacts with Epstein between 2012 and 2019 included 25 visits to Epstein’s townhouse and a two-day visit to Epstein’s island.
A trove of Justice Department documents showed that Epstein sometimes arrived at Bard by helicopter. Botstein had also invited Epstein to the 2013 graduation ceremonies and suggested they meet for an opera performance. In addition, Botstein reached out to Epstein weeks after The Miami Herald reported new details on Epstein’s criminal prosecution in 2018, expressing hope that Epstein was “holding up as well as can be expected,” and referred to their “friendship” in at least two emails. Epstein steered $150,000 to Botstein in 2016, which the president has said he donated to the college. CBS News
The report also noted that Epstein made two visits to Bard and attended various recitals and concerts “accompanied by multiple women who have since been identified as victims.”
At one point, Botstein disagreed with a senior faculty member who felt Bard should not engage with Epstein, concluding that a person convicted of crimes involving sex with a minor could be presumed to have been rehabilitated. The review captured his attitude bluntly: “His view was, ‘I would take money from Satan if it permitted me to do God’s work.'”

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Botstein’s Response

In his retirement letter, Botstein did not mention Epstein by name, except to note that he had waited to make the announcement until the independent review was complete. “I believe it was prudent and in the best interest of Bard to wait until the Wilmer Hale review was complete to make this announcement,” he wrote. CBS News
He said he plans to “focus my energy as faculty member, teacher, and musician,” and will continue with the Bard Music Festival, SummerScape, and the Bard Conservatory, remaining on campus at a college residence. CNBC
Importantly, Botstein was not accused of any involvement in Epstein’s exploitation and abuse of girls and women — but he was among a long list of prominent figures who maintained friendly relationships with Epstein for years despite his status as a convicted sex offender. CP24

Bard’s Path Forward
The college said it is “committed to strengthening its policies on donor vetting, fundraising, and conflicts of interest,” and that outside counsel is reviewing existing policies and will present recommendations to the Board. The college also said funds associated with Epstein will be directed to organizations that support survivors of sexual harm.
The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees acknowledged Botstein’s decades of service but added that the “concerns raised in recent months have been serious and deeply felt.” CP24
Some members of the campus community had been calling for Botstein’s resignation for weeks before Friday’s announcement.

Botstein’s departure marks the end of an era at Bard a presidency that spanned five decades and reshaped a small college into a world-class institution, but one that will now also be remembered for the uncomfortable questions raised by the Epstein files. As more documents continue to emerge from the DOJ’s ongoing releases, it remains to be seen whether further fallout will touch other prominent figures in academia and beyond.