Read the report: Review details Leon Botstein’s Epstein ties as Bard president resigns

Leon Botstein will step down as president of Bard College at the end of the academic year following the release of an independent report examining his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to the Times Union, which first reported the resignation.

“After completing 51 years as the president of Bard, I am announcing that I will be retiring from the presidency at the end of this academic year, June 30, 2026,” Botstein wrote in an email to Bard faculty on Friday, according to the Times Union.

Botstein, who did not reference the Epstein controversy in his email, also said he would remain a faculty member—leading the Bard Music Festival, SummerScape, and Bard Conservatory—and continue to live on campus.

His resignation came after the release of a report prepared by the law firm WilmerHale for Bard’s trustees after emails and other records naming Botstein were revealed in the U.S. Justice Department’s release of files related to Epstein earlier this year.

The article continues with the full report below.

“Nothing that President Botstein did in connection with his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was illegal, but President Botstein made decisions in the course of that relationship that reflect on his leadership of Bard,” the law firm wrote in the report.