Former Treasury Secretary and Harvard University professor Larry Summers announced that he will resign as the campus reviews his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
“I have made the difficult decision to retire from my Harvard professorship at the end of this academic year,” Summers said in a statement obtained by CNBC. “I will always be grateful to the thousands of students and colleagues I have been privileged to teach and work with since coming to Harvard as a graduate student 50 years ago.” He added, “Free of formal responsibility, as President Emeritus and a retired professor, I look forward in time to engaging in research, analysis, and commentary on a range of global economic issues.”
According to The Harvard Crimson, Summers also resigned from his position as co-director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.
Emails released in November revealed Summers was close to Epstein, with the two discussing women, politics, and projects affiliated with Harvard University. The university then opened an investigation into Summers and others to “evaluate what actions may be warranted.”
After the exchanges were made public, Summers announced he would step back from public commitments. He said in November, “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”
“While continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations, I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort,” Summers said at the time.
Summers’ forthcoming departure follows the resignation of Nobel Prize winner and co-director of Columbia University’s Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Richard Axel, from his roles.
