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, months after details about contacts with notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were made public in Department of Justice documents, The New York Times reported.
Botstein has served as Bard’s president since 1975.
Bard, which is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, earlier this year retained the law firm WilmerHale to review Botstein’s relationship with Epstein.
Botstein has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
The Times noted that DOJ files, which were released pursuant to a new law requiring disclosure of investigative documents about Epstein, showed that “Dr. Botstein had exchanged messages and visits with Mr. Epstein for years, including after Mr. Epstein’s conviction on solicitation of a minor for prostitution.”
“In one 2013 note, Dr. Botstein signed off with ‘Miss you,’ ” The Times noted. “He spoke of his cherished ‘new friendship’ with the financier, and wished him well after a news story that detailed his abuse was published.”
A woman who answered the phone at Botstein’s home referred a CNBC reporter to Bard’s media affairs office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bard’s media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.
This is developing news. Check back for updates.
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