Harvard University is struggling with its latest controversy after multiple faculty members, including prominent economist Larry Summers, were revealed to have connections to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Harvard announced a probe into the matter this week as Summers, a former president of the school, said he would step away from his teaching obligations after his close friendship with Epstein was detailed in newly released emails.
The situation means yet another minefield the nation’s oldest university will have to navigate after trying for years to dodge negative headlines.
Harvard is investigating Summers after he repeatedly showed up in communications with Epstein that were released by the House earlier this month, ahead of a vote demanding the Justice Department make its own Epstein-related files public.
Summers, the most prominent name from the university’s roster, was found to have extensive communications with Epstein, making sexist comments about women and asking for romantic advice regarding a woman he considered his protege. Harvard English professor emerita Elisa F. New, who is married to Summers, also had communications with Epstein.
Summers has said he regrets his association with Epstein and has stepped back from his teaching, though he is still a tenured professor with the university.
“Mr. Summers has decided it’s in the best interest of the Center for him to go on leave from his role as Director as Harvard undertakes its review. His co-teachers will complete the remaining three class sessions of the courses he has been teaching with them this semester, and he is not scheduled to teach next semester,” a spokesperson said.
Summers, 70, also served as as Treasury secretary in former President Clinton’s administration and as the director of the National Economic Council under former President Obama.
Since the emails were released, he has withdrawn from multiple organizations he was involved in, including OpenAI, and he says he is stepping back from public life for the time being.
“Harvard has had a string of very public PR disasters in recent years, I think because … it had this very prominent brand position, and they — I think they embody in many ways, in so many ways, kind of the frustration with elites, the frustration with elite institutions,” said Nathan Miller, founder and CEO of Miller Ink, a crisis communication and PR firm.
Miller added that between the Epstein controversy and other issues, people feel Harvard is “out of touch with any kind of sense of moral clarity.”
“I have deep sympathy for their communications professionals at this moment. I think they’re doing what they can to manage the situation. I think they clearly pushed Summers to come out publicly, and immediately resign to take some of the heat off. But it will feel, I think, a lot, like too little, too late,” he said.
The Hill has reached out to Harvard for comment.
While Summers has retreated from his teaching, it is very difficult for a school to take tenure away to fire a professor, and attempts to do so could result in a legal battle.
What will likely play to Harvard’s advantage is how vast the Epstein story is; other prominent individuals found in the files could draw some attention away from the school.
“From a reputation-management perspective, the Epstein story is much bigger than Harvard and it’s continuing to evolve. We’ll likely see more high-profile names and institutions in the news cycle as more documents get released, pulling attention away from Harvard,” said Marykate Mattiello, vice president of strategy at Group Gordon, a communications firm.
Harvard has faced a series of reputational challenges over the past few years.
The university’s former president, Claudine Gay, resigned from the school after a congressional hearing in which she and other university presidents said calls for the genocide of Jewish people could only be considered harassment on their campuses in certain contexts.
And President Trump has aggressively targeted the Ivy League institution since taking office, going after its federal funding, ability to enroll foreign students and admissions processes as it seeks policy changes.
For months, the Trump administration has said it is close to a deal with Harvard, with some reporting discussions about a $500 million monetary penalty and other concessions to end the administration’s investigations into the university.
“There’s just potentially generational damage to the Harvard brand. It’s been taken down a peg, I think, by all the scandals of the past five years,” Miller said.
While nothing has been confirmed, higher education leaders are anxiously awaiting the announcement of a deal as the administration has indicated it expects the rest of the higher education community to fall in line with what Harvard agrees to.
“The bigger risk is the ongoing conflict with the federal government and the potential $500 million settlement deal. That would be a significant blow, and Harvard needs a strong plan for communicating with students, faculty, donors, and the public to preserve its reputation after any settlement announcement,” said Mattiello.