The president of Bard College, who has run the unorthodox liberal-arts school for more than a half century, announced his retirement on Friday, after the release of documents that showed he had a closer relationship with Jeffrey Epstein than previously known.<\/p>\n
The president, Leon Botstein, was known for his fund-raising prowess and outsize personality, but came under scrutiny after the release of a trove of documents collected by the Justice Department related to Mr. Epstein. The files showed Dr. Botstein had exchanged messages and visits with Mr. Epstein for years, including after Mr. Epstein\u2019s conviction on solicitation of a minor for prostitution. <\/p>\n
In one 2013 note, Dr. Botstein signed off with \u201cMiss you.\u201d He spoke of his cherished \u201cnew friendship\u201d with the financier, and wished him well after the publication of news article that detailed his abuse.<\/p>\n
The college commissioned an independent review, conducted by the law firm WilmerHale, and the findings were released on Friday<\/a>.<\/p>\n The review found that Dr. Botstein had done nothing illegal but that his relationship with Mr. Epstein raised concerns about his leadership. The review said that Dr. Botstein had ignored the concerns of a senior faculty member who advised him that Bard should avoid Mr. Epstein.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Botstein forcefully argues that Bard\u2019s need for funds was paramount,\u201d the review concluded. \u201cHis view was, \u2018I would take money from Satan if it permitted me to do God\u2019s work.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The review noted that Mr. Botstein had visited Mr. Epstein\u2019s island, invited Mr. Epstein to stay at Bard and to visit a high school affiliated with Bard, and had taken payments from Mr. Epstein<\/a>. Mr. Botstein said he had in turn funneled those payments to Bard under his own name.<\/p>\n Dr. Botstein has long maintained that his relationship with Mr. Epstein was entirely about coaxing him to give money to the school, which is about 100 miles north of New York City.<\/p>\n Dr. Botstein became president of Bard in 1975, when he was only 28 years old and the college was in dire financial shape. He earned a reputation as a talented fund-raiser, and is credited by his supporters with keeping Bard afloat at a time when many colleges are facing difficulties and some have closed<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2021, the billionaire George Soros pledged to donate $500 million to Bard\u2019s endowment, which now tops $1 billion.<\/p>\n The new documents did not show any criminal wrongdoing on Dr. Botstein\u2019s part, but Dr. Botstein is the latest powerful person to leave a top position after their communications with Mr. Epstein were revealed.<\/p>\n Dr. Botstein said in a statement Friday that he believed it was in the \u201cbest interest of Bard\u201d to wait until the review was complete before he announced his retirement.<\/p>\n In the statement, he said that he would continue working as a professor and participating in music programs connected to Bard. Since 1992, Dr. Botstein has been the principal conductor and music director of the American Symphony Orchestra. In his statement, he said he would also live at Finberg House, an on-campus residence hall.<\/p>\n Billing itself as \u201ca private college in the public interest,\u201d Bard has long prided itself on bucking the conventions of higher education. The college doubled down on its bohemian sensibility under Dr. Botstein\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n The out-of-the-box thinking extended to college admissions. Bard applicants, for example, can skip the traditional process and instead submit three lengthy essays.<\/p>\n And Dr. Botstein has lampooned the U.S. News and World Report rankings, which many college leaders swear by.<\/p>\n He has also been a strong advocate for early college, creating some of the first programs that allow teenagers, often from underrepresented backgrounds, to earn college credit tuition-free while still in high school.<\/p>\n But when it came to another convention of modern higher education \u2014 the need to raise private money \u2014 Bard embraced the practice. Dr. Botstein said he hated raising money from the wealthy, describing it as a humiliating experience.<\/p>\n Still, in his statement Friday, he said that the college under his watch had secured nearly $3 billion in philanthropy. He said he would stay as president until the end of this academic year, June 30.<\/p>\n