The longtime president of Bard College announced his retirement Friday, months after it was revealed that his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was much deeper than previously known.
Leon Botstein, 79, will retire at the end of June after half a century as president of a small liberal arts college in New York, he wrote in a lengthy letter to the campus community.
In the letter, Bostan made no mention of the review of his ties to Epstein, saying only that he had been waiting to publicly announce his retirement until an independent review of his ties to the notorious sex offender, released Thursday, was completed.
“I believe it is prudent and in Bard’s best interest to wait until the Wilmer Hale review is completed before issuing this statement,” he wrote.
He said he will remain at Bard College as a teacher and musician.
“Our long-time president Leon Botstein announced today that he will retire as president at the end of June,” the school said in a separate statement. “For fifty years, President Botstein has been a transformational leader whose vision and unwavering commitment have made Bard College the world-class educational institution it is today.”
Bard’s trustees have hired outside law firm WilmerHale to conduct an independent review of communications between Epstein and Botstein. The review found the president did nothing illegal but “made decisions during the course of the relationship that reflected his leadership of Bud,” according to a summary provided by the academy.
“President Bostein, in his public statements and statements to the Bard community, has downplayed his relationship with Epstein and has not been entirely accurate in describing his relationship with Epstein,” the review said.
Bostan has not been charged with participating in Epstein’s exploitation and abuse of girls and women. Although he was a convicted sex offender, he was one of many outstanding men and women with whom he remained friendly over the years.
A trove of documents released by the Justice Department this year showed that Botstein and Epstein met multiple times, with Epstein sometimes arriving in Bader by helicopter. The president also invited Epstein as a guest at the 2013 graduation ceremony and suggested they attend an opera performance together.
Additionally, weeks after the Miami Herald reported new details of Epstein’s 2018 criminal indictment, Botstein contacted Epstein, saying “I want you to know that I hope you’re holding on as expected,” and referring to his “friendship” with Epstein in at least two separate emails.
In 2016, Epstein donated $150,000 to Botstein, funds that the president has previously said he has donated to the college. Bostan has previously denied having personal ties to Epstein, instead saying his contact with Epstein was primarily to raise money for the college.
According to the review, Bostan at one point disagreed with a senior faculty member who argued that Bard should not have dealt with Epstein, concluding that the president “relyed on his view that a person convicted of having sex with a minor (a ‘common sex offender,’ in his words) could be presumed vindicated, just as he believed anyone else convicted should be afforded that presumption.”
“President Botstein argued vehemently that Bard’s need for funds was critical. His view was, ‘I would take money from Satan if Satan would allow me to do God’s work,'” the review said.
In a separate letter, the Bard Board of Trustees’ executive committee expressed gratitude for Botstein’s decades of service to the college but added that “the concerns raised in recent months are serious and profound.”
“We are grateful to those who came forward to share their views, and we recognize the importance of the issues that prompted this review and subsequent deliberations,” the committee wrote.
The statement said Epstein-related funds will go to organizations that support survivors of sexual harm.
