Epstein’s Academic Ties Reveal Vulnerabilities in College Fund-Raising

America’s colleges and universities are chronically searching for money, and that need drew academic leaders and researchers into Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit. Schools lent him prestige; he offered money or the prospect of it, engaging with people at Harvard, M.I.T., Stanford, Bard and Columbia.

Many of those relationships unraveled after his 2019 death by suicide in jail, where he was held on sex-trafficking charges. Some institutions have tried to distance themselves by donating his contributions and condemning his crimes, and recent Justice Department document releases have prompted fresh recriminations.

Academics whose names appear in the files say they engaged with Epstein to secure funding for college budgets and research. Bard president Leon Botstein said he engaged with Epstein to raise funds for Bard. Nicholas Christakis of Yale said he met Epstein once while fundraising for his lab and that they never received funding.

United States

jeffrey epstein, college fundraising, universities, research funding, harvard, mit, stanford, justice department, leon botstein, nicholas christakis