Harvard announced that economist Larry Summers will retire from his faculty post at the end of the academic year after newly released documents tied him to Jeffrey Epstein. The university said Summers, who had been on leave since November, notified officials of his decision as campus scrutiny intensified. The crisis spread to Columbia University where Nobel laureate Richard Axel resigned as co‑director of the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute after his reported friendship with Epstein drew criticism. Both departures follow a Justice Department release of files detailing Epstein’s long‑standing ties to academics and philanthropies. The resignations have prompted widespread internal reviews at multiple institutions and fresh debate about donor due diligence, gift acceptance policies, and the reputational risks of conferring access to high‑profile funders. University leaders and boards are facing renewed pressure from students, alumni, and trustees to disclose past ties and reform governance around external funding.