Emails seen by the Guardian show Bard’s trustees voted around April 30 to end Leon Botstein’s 51-year presidency after WilmerHale presented findings on his Jeffrey Epstein ties, despite Botstein later describing his exit as a planned retirement.
WilmerHale’s May 1 summary said Botstein did nothing illegal but was “not fully accurate” about the relationship, failed to disclose consulting fees from an Epstein entity, and did not fully grasp reputational and student-safety risks.
The decision appears to have split the board: one trustee called the vote the “end of our college as we know it today,” while another said the process was “compromised” because counsel and consultants stayed in the room during deliberations.
Bard this week confirmed the resignations of chair James Chambers and two other trustees, though it did not say whether the departures were tied to the dispute and insisted the board remains aligned.
The fallout is widening beyond campus: a Bard alum asked the New York attorney general’s charities office to investigate alleged fiduciary breaches, and the office said it has received the letter and is reviewing it.
A president is ousted over Epstein ties but remains on faculty. Can Bard College truly move on?
When does taking 'Satan's money' for a college's 'God's work' become an unforgivable sin for its leader?