“He appreciates excellence,” Kosslyn says. “He thinks we are dong something special and wants to help nurture our institution.”

Friends and associates say Harvard stands only to benefit from his evolving relationship with the university because Epstein comes with more than just deep-pockets.

“He’ll benefit Harvard in a lot of ways,” Dershowitz says. “He’s a lot more interesting than some traditional academics. He has a very probing, inquiring mind. I think he’ll be a great challenge. He’s a real outsider and will challenge the current ways of thinking. He’ll have a substantial impact.”

And Harvard, it seems, welcomes that challenge with open arms.

“I hope that he will—over time—become one of the leading supporters of science at Harvard,” Rosovsky says.

With Epstein’s latest gift, it seems he is on his way to doing just that. Although—if Epstein has his way—few may know when he reaches that threshold.

—Staff writer Jaquelyn M. Scharnick can be reached at scharnic@fas.harvard.edu.