All posts tagged: Bard

Bard President Leon Botstein (Finally) Resigns, Following Epstein Revelations

Bard President Leon Botstein (Finally) Resigns, Following Epstein Revelations

Published by Jenni Sidey

Leon Botstein, who has led Bard College since 1975 and shaped it into one of the art world’s most influential liberal arts institutions, announced Friday that he will retire, after an independent report found he had not been “fully accurate” in his public accounts of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the New York Times reported. The review, conducted by the law firm WilmerHale and commissioned by Bard’s board of trustees, was released Friday alongside Botstein’s announcement that he will step down as president on June 30. Related Articles The findings did not identify illegal conduct on Botstein’s part, but concluded that his relationship with Epstein—which included visits, payments, personal messages, and a joint watch purchase worth $56,000—raised serious concerns about his leadership and judgment. In the case of the watch, Botsein, a watch collector, had kept the watch for nearly a year before Epstein demanded that he return it, or pay him to cover the cost. Botstein’s retirement is a consequential moment for the art world: Bard is home to the Center …

Bard College’s president to retire after scrutiny of relationship with Jeffrey Epstein : NPR

Bard College’s president to retire after scrutiny of relationship with Jeffrey Epstein : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Bard College President Leon Botstein speaks during the 153rd Commencement at Bard College, May 25, 2013, in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. Philip Kamrass/AP hide caption toggle caption Philip Kamrass/AP ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. — The longtime president of Bard College announced his retirement Friday, months after it was revealed that he had a much deeper relationship with Jeffrey Epstein than was previously known. Leon Botstein, who has been president of the small, liberal arts college in New York for a half century, will retire at the end of June, he wrote in an email provided to The Associated Press by Bard. In the note, Botstein, 79, didn’t mention the scrutiny of his ties to Epstein, except to say that he had waited to announce his retirement publicly until the completion of an independent review of his relationship with the notorious sex offender. He said he would remain on Bard’s faculty as a teacher and musician. 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 …

Bard President Botstein retiring after Jeffrey Epstein ties Revealed

Bard President Botstein retiring after Jeffrey Epstein ties Revealed

Published by Sam Flores

FILE PHOTO: President of Bard College Leon Botstein speaks during the “Changing Landscapes: From the Digital Classroom to the Global Campus” panal during the TIME Summit On Higher Education on Oct. 18, 2012 in New York City. Jemal Countess | Getty Images Bard College President Leon Botstein announced Friday that he will retire at the end of June after 51 years leading the prestigious New York liberal arts school, a day after a law firm retained by its Board of Trustees delivered a critical report about his relationship with the late notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “Nothing that President Botstein did in connection with his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was illegal,” WilmerHale attorney Jamie Gorelick wrote in a summary to those trustees, which CNBC obtained. “But President Botstein made decisions in the course of that relationship that reflect on his leadership of Bard,” wrote Gorelick, who served as a deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration. Bard’s trustees retained WilmerHale in February to review its 79-year-old president’s relationship with Epstein after details about their communications …

Bard President Leon Botstein (Finally) Resigns, Following Epstein Revelations

Bard President Leon Botstein Talks About Succession Plan: Report

Published by José Betancourt

Leon Botstein, whose leadership of Bard College has been questioned after connections with Jeffrey Epstein were revealed, has talked about retiring and moving into another role at the school after a successor is found, according to a report in the Times Union. But no timeline has been set, and the 79-year-old “appears to have no plans of leaving soon,” according to the newspaper. Botstein has met numerous times with Bard students and workers since details about his relationship with Epstein were revealed in February, including at three town halls, a faculty meeting, and a meeting with operations and support staff last week. But he “has characterized his eventual departure as the inevitable consequence of his advancing age,” according to the Times Union. Ann Lauterbach, a professor of languages and literature, told the paper, “My impression is that he will retire on his own clock. I think the most important thing is that he is not going to be forced to retire because of the Epstein files.” Related Articles Botstein’s name appears more than 2,800 times …

Bard President Leon Botstein (Finally) Resigns, Following Epstein Revelations

Bard College to Launch ‘Review’ of President’s Ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Published by José Betancourt

Bard College has launched an “independent review” of its president’s ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after newly released emails from the Department of Justice revealed close links between the two. The liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, made the announcement in a statement from its board of trustees on Thursday. The board said it had retained the outside law firm WilmerHale to review the email correspondence. The New York Times reported that Dr. Leon Botstein, the college’s president since 1975, had long maintained that his relationship with Epstein was strictly philanthropic, aimed at securing a sizable donation to bolster Bard’s flagging finances. However, among the millions of emails released in January were messages suggesting they shared a personal relationship. Related Articles The Times Union, an Albany-based newspaper, reported on Thursday that Botstein wrote in one quoted email that he valued his “new friendship” with Epstein, ending a 2013 message with “Miss you.” The emails also show that Botstein visited Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse frequently and on at least one occasion, Epstein …

Bard College President Scrutinized for Emails with Jeffrey Epstein

Bard College President Scrutinized for Emails with Jeffrey Epstein

Published by Jenni Sidey

Longtime Bard College president Leon Botstein, who has helmed the influential liberal-arts school since 1975, is under fire after the release of email communications with Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, that suggest a relationship more personal than had been previously disclosed. On Monday, the New York Times reported that Botstein had sent Epstein a grateful note regarding a 2012 trip to the Caribbean that he recently claimed not to remember in detail—including whether his visit included time on Epstein’s notorious private island. Related Articles David Wade, a spokesman for Botstein, told the Times in a statement last week that his client got very sick and stayed in a bungalow but Botstein did not know if that bungalow was on Epstein’s private island. He wasn’t sure whether the bungalow was on the island. An email that was recently released by the Department of Justice, however, shows personal correspondence between Botstein and Epstein about that trip. In an email sent on December 23, 2012, with the sender name of “President” and signed “Leon,” …