Bard College president to retire after revelations of his ties to Epstein

The longtime president of Bard College announced his retirement Friday, months after it was revealed that he had a much deeper relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein than was previously known. Leon Botstein, 79, 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 a lengthy letter to the campus community. In the letter, Botstein 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 that was published Thursday . "I believe it was prudent and in the best interest of Bard to wait until the Wilmer Hale review was complete to make this announcement," he wrote. He said he would remain on Bard's faculty as a teacher and musician. "Our longtime President, Leon Botstein, announced today that he will be retiring from the presidency at the end of June," the school said in a separate statement. "Over the course of fifty years, President Botstein has been a transformative leader with the vision and unwavering commitment that has shaped Bard into the world-class educational institution it is today." Bard's trustees had enlisted the outside law firm WilmerHale to conduct an independent review of the communications between Epstein and Botstein. …