Bard College named Jonathan Becker—its executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs—as acting president. Becker will chair a newly formed leadership council to guide Bard’s “path forward” while the Board of Trustees runs a deliberate and inclusive search for permanent leadership. The acting appointment begins July 1, ending Leon Botstein’s 51-year presidency. Bard’s leadership transition follows months of disruption tied to a Justice Department-related disclosure about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and information about Botstein’s relationship with Epstein. An external law firm’s investigation found Botstein “minimized and was not fully accurate” about his relationship to the Bard community. Botstein announced in May he would resign June 30, and the trustees said Becker’s academic and international student programming experience positions him to manage a transition period while the board selects an interim president and then a long-term successor.