More universities have been crafting policies
to guide them when concerns about donors
arise, said Henry Stoever, president and
CEO of the Association of Governing Boards
of Universities and Colleges. Different
colleges have different appetites for risk, he
said, but ultimately the top priority is the
school’s reputation.
“You don’t just say yes to everybody who
comes in the door with a big check,”
Stoever said.
At MIT, it appears there was a breakdown in
the system for evaluating donors. According
to The New Yorker, the Media Lab continued
to accept money from Epstein even after
the university labeled him as a “disqualified”
donor. MIT says Media Lab director Joi Ito
resigned. Ito, who was also a visiting
professor at Harvard Law School, also
resigned from that position.
Reif ’s message said the acceptance of Epstein’s
gifts “involved a mistake of judgment.” He
added that the school is assessing how to
improve policies and prevent similar mistakes
in the future.
Among other allegations, The New Yorker
reported that Epstein arranged at least $7.5
million from other wealthy donors to the
MIT Media Lab, including $2 million that he
claimed to solicit from Bill Gates. A Gates
representative said the money given directly
to the university in 2014 wasn’t dedicated
to the program that Epstein was fundraising
for, and Gates’ office wasn’t aware of any
discussions between the lab and Epstein
about the tech billionaire’s grant.