Overview
- Leon Botstein said Friday he will step down as Bard’s president on June 30, 2026, after 51 years, and he plans to stay as faculty and lead Bard’s music programs.
- An outside review by WilmerHale told Bard’s board that Botstein had extensive in-person contact with Epstein, including about 25 visits to his New York townhouse, a two-day visit to Little St. James, a flight to the island, and campus visits where Epstein was accompanied by women later identified as victims.
- The review found no illegal conduct but said Botstein was not fully accurate in public statements, favored fundraising needs, and judged Epstein as rehabilitated, quoting him as saying he would take money from “Satan” to do “God’s work.”
- Justice Department files released this year showed years of messages and meetings between Botstein and Epstein, including after Epstein’s 2008 conviction, and one 2013 note in which Botstein wrote, “Miss you.”
- Bard’s board praised his decades of service yet called recent concerns serious, and the college said funds tied to Epstein will go to groups that support survivors of sexual harm.