Harvard economist and former president Lawrence Summers took leave from teaching after emails surfaced showing continued contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, triggering renewed investigations and public backlash. Summers also severed recent corporate ties, and Harvard restarted a review of his relationship with the financier. Related reporting revealed emails and ties between Epstein and other prominent academics, including noted scientists whose names appear in correspondence. The disclosures have intensified debates on donor relationships, conflicts of interest, and transparency at elite institutions. Universities and research centers are now facing reputational and governance questions: how to vet philanthropic relationships, whether to reopen historical inquiries, and how academic institutions should handle legacy ties to controversial funders while preserving academic freedom and institutional integrity.