Harvard reported a rebound in donations, applications and institutional support after a period of governance turmoil and public attacks, while newly released Jeffrey Epstein files have thrust a prominent Duke professor into scrutiny. Harvard leaders and peer institutions marshaled donors and public relations to shore up reputation; Harvard President Alan Garber has been publicly recognized for the recovery. The Justice Department’s tranche of Epstein-related documents includes hundreds of references to Dan Ariely, prompting campus and alumni questions at Duke; the records show repeated correspondence but do not in themselves allege criminal conduct. University officials face pressure to clarify institutional ties, vet donor relationships, and respond to reputational risk arising from external political attacks and disclosures. For university boards and presidents, the twin developments underscore governance priorities: robust conflict-of-interest checks, rapid response to reputational threats, and strengthened donor-engagement protocols to preserve research and enrollment pipelines.