EducationFebruary 7, 2026

Newly released documents show ties between Bard’s president and Jeffrey Epstein

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② Start Lesson

Key Vocabulary

president/ˈprɛzɪdənt/

the leader of a college or organization

"Leon Botstein is the president of Bard College."

gift/ɡɪft/

money or things given to an organization

"Epstein gave Bard a $75,000 gift."

island/ˈaɪ.lənd/

a piece of land surrounded by water

"The email arranged for Botstein to visit Jeffrey's island."

Listening

Newly released documents show ties between Bard’s president and Jeffrey Epstein

Leon Botstein is the long-time president of Bard College in New York. New files from the U.S. Justice Department show he met and exchanged emails with Jeffrey Epstein. An email from December 2012 arranged for Botstein to be taken to Jeffrey's island. Epstein also gave Bard a $75,000 gift in 2011.

Botstein said he tried to raise money for Bard. In 2016 he received $150,000 from a foundation linked to Epstein and he donated that money to the college. The files show contact between the two men until January 2018. Botstein has said he would not have accepted Epstein's money if he had known more about his crimes.

108 words

Quiz

1. Who is the long-time president of Bard College?

2. Where was Botstein arranged to be taken in December 2012?

3. How much money did Epstein give Bard in 2011?

Reading Practice

Read the article from the Listening section aloud. Your AI teacher will give you pronunciation feedback.

Discussion

Do you think donations change how people feel about an institution? Why or why not?

Have you ever been asked to help raise money for a school or group? What happened?

What do you think when you hear that an important leader met with a controversial person?