How Jeffrey Epstein Cosplayed His Way to Harvard

Long before private islands and little black books, Jeffrey Epstein conned his way into New York City's upper-crust private-school system. Graduating from high school two years early in 1969, he couldn't seem to get a handle on college, eventually dropping out of NYU without a degree. Yet somehow he was hired at the prestigious Dalton School in Manhattan (currently $67,480/year) to teach high school math and physics.

With famous alumni like Anderson Cooper, Sean Lennon, and Chevy Chase, the Dalton School is part of the Ivy Preparatory School League and is known for its progressive educational approach. However, once upon a time it was run by none other than Donald Barr, father of former Attorney General William Barr, who came to the school as a disciplinarian with a plan to enforce a much stricter code of conduct. It's unknown whether or not he hired Jeffrey Epstein in 1974, but he would resign in protest before Epstein ever set foot inside the school.

Mr. Epstein in the 1975 yearbook of the Dalton School - The New York Times

“Everyone knows that I am somewhat anachronistic in my views of the educational leadership of a school. I am not comfortable with the definition of board‐head relations that I see becoming current in school everywhere.” - Donald Barr, Dalton School Headmaster

Dalton hired a young Dr. Gardner P. Dunnan to take over the position of headmaster, and Dunnan had a much different approach to the school environment, rolling back some of its harshest rules, including denim, which Barr had strictly forbade.

In 2018 a former Dalton student would accuse Dunnan of sexual abuse, after hiring her as a live-in babysitter in exchange for free admission to the private school. Dunnan is currently working as a college admissions consultant and student success advisor.

With the relaxed new rules, Jeffrey Epstein fit right in at the Dalton School. Students remember seeing "Mr. Epstein," then 21 years-old and still without a teaching degree, "wandering the halls in a fur coat, gold chains and an open shirt that exposed his chest." Yet this hadn’t seemed to bother the former headmaster, who thought it more important that his teachers be unique than qualified.

Mr. Epstein from the 1976 yearbook at the Dalton School - The New York Times

"Barr didn't care about credentials as long as you were interesting and knew your stuff." - Susan Semel, teacher and author of The Dalton School: The Transformation of a Progressive School

This would seem to suggest that Barr did indeed hire Epstein before he resigned.

While the kids got along with Epstein--"He was goofy and like a kid himself"--several noticed inappropriate behavior from the young new teacher, including flirting with the girls.

"There was a real clarity of the inappropriateness of the behavior — that this isn’t how adult male teachers conduct themselves." - Millicent Young, 1976 graduate

Another student, speaking on the condition of anonymity, claimed Epstein "made efforts to spend time with her outside school," and contacted the headmaster about it. An attorney for Gardner Dunnan says he was not aware of any problems between female students and their new math teacher. Yet others claimed seeing Epstein at school parties, the only teacher in attendance, drinking and dancing with young students.

"It was weird. Everyone talked about it." - Paul Grossman, 1978 graduate

Eventually Epstein's immature conduct and lack of knowledge caught up with him, and Peter Branch, head of the high school, determined that he was not a good fit for the prestigious school.

"Epstein was a young teacher who didn't come up to snuff. So, ultimately, he was asked to leave." - Peter Branch, The Dalton School

But before leaving the Dalton School Epstein became friends with a student's father, Alan Greenberg, CEO of Bear Stearns. He would spend the next few years rising in the ranks at Bear Stearns before leaving to start his own consulting firm, and then another in the 1990s, all the while still investing in Bear Stearns until its collapse in the financial crisis of 2008.

But in 2005, seemingly out of nowhere, Jeffrey Epstein was appointed as a visiting fellow in the Psychology Department at Harvard University. Epstein had donated $200,000 to support the work of then-Professor Stephen Kosslyn, chair of the department, who "recommended Epstein's admission to the program." Conflicts of interest were not included on the application, and therefore not disclosed. He was admitted for the 2006-2007 academic year, but withdrew following his first arrest for sexual abuse of a minor.

Jeffrey Epstein (left) and artificial intelligence pioneer Marvin Minsky (right), whom Epstein viewed as a trusted scientific adviser - Rick Friedman/Getty Images

And yet, even with the allegations against him, and jail time served, Jeffrey Epstein entrenched himself in the Harvard community.

"Epstein regularly visited, had card key access to, and was provided a designated office space within [the program in evolutionary dynamics] until 2018." - Diane Lopez, Harvard Vice President

Then-President Drew Faust said, in 2008, that Harvard should no longer accept donations from the fallen financier--and it is unclear whether they followed through on this--but Harvard did accept donations facilitated by Epstein from other donors after 2008.

Shortly after Jeffrey Epstein's death in 2019, Harvard released "A Message to the Community Regarding Jeffrey Epstein."

"All of us have been horrified by the revelations regarding Jeffrey Epstein, and I write today to update our community on steps we are taking in view of current information about his philanthropy to Harvard. Epstein’s behavior, not just at Harvard, but elsewhere, raises significant questions about how institutions like ours review and vet donors." - Lawrence S. Bacow, President of Harvard University

A year later Diane Lopez, Harvard University Vice President and General Counsel, released a "Report Concerning Jeffrey E. Epstein's Connections to Harvard University."

"Professor Kosslyn had known Epstein for many years, and between 1998 and 2002, Epstein had given Harvard $200,000 to support Kosslyn's work. Epstein lacked the academic qualifications Visiting Fellows typically possess, and his application proposed a course of study Epstein was unqualified to pursue. In February 2006, Epstein applied to be re-admitted as a Visiting Fellow for a second year...and Harvard again admitted him." - Diane Lopez, Harvard Vice President.

It would seem that between dropping out of NYU and owning one of the biggest private homes in New York City, Jeffrey Epstein was a bit of a Frank Abagnale "Catch Me If You Can" type character, landing in roles he was certainly unqualified to possess. Yet in doing so he became one of the richest financiers in the city, hobnobbing with the rich and famous, and obtaining a level of power with which empathy can no longer co-exist. But how did he get there? Who let him in? Why were high-level academic gatekeepers welcoming him into the fold with zero credentials, and what consequences have they faced since?

2020 Film - “Surviving Jeffrey Epstein”

Were any of the young women in his private rolodex students at Harvard University or the Dalton School? Has anyone checked? Or is that why we're still not allowed to know?

Yet another tangent in one of the darkest and most corrupt stories in modern history, interweaving the upper echelon of all sectors--academia, finance, Hollywood, and politics.

Note: Many of the quotes from this Substack were taken from the following article at the New York Times, written by Mike Baker and Amy Julia Harris.

Jeffrey Epstein Taught at Dalton. His Behavior Was Noticed.

Other documents pertaining to this case are as follows:

A Message to the (Harvard) Community Regarding Jeffrey Epstein

A Report Concerning Jeffrey E. Epstein’s Connections to Harvard University

Ellie is an author, editor, and owner of Red Pencil Transcripts, and works with filmmakers, podcasts, and journalists all over the world. She lives with her family just outside of New York City.