Former UT Professor Sought Epstein Funding for Consent Conference

Thomas K. Hubbard asked Epstein's foundation for $10,000-$20,000 to supplement a 2016 UT conference on the meaning of sexual consent.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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A former University of Texas professor named Thomas K. Hubbard requested thousands of dollars from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's foundation in 2015 to help fund a 2016 academic conference at UT on the topic of sexual consent and rape. Hubbard, who taught at UT from 1988 to 2021, said he believed Epstein's past conviction might make him more likely to contribute to the conference, which aimed to question policies around consent and a university's role in policing sexual assault.

Why it matters

This story highlights the controversy surrounding Hubbard's academic work and the university's handling of his tenure, as well as the broader issues around how universities address sexual assault and consent on campus. It also raises questions about the ethics of seeking funding from individuals with a history of sexual misconduct, even if their crimes were committed in a different legal and social context.

The details

In his 2015 letter to Epstein, Hubbard asked for help raising between $10,000 and $20,000 to supplement the $12,000 budget for the conference, which was in part funded by UT through a fund Hubbard controlled. Hubbard wrote that Title IX regulations, the Clery Act, and 'attention to 'campus rape culture' in the media' put an 'unprecedented' responsibility on university administrators to police student sexual conduct. The conference, hosted at UT, aimed to gather scholars from different fields to question policies around consent and a university's role in policing sexual assault.

  • Hubbard wrote to Epstein on August 18, 2015 seeking funding for the 2016 conference.
  • Hubbard taught at UT from 1988 to 2021.

The players

Thomas K. Hubbard

A former professor at the University of Texas who taught courses on mythology and sexuality, and who in 2015 sought funding from Jeffrey Epstein's foundation for a conference on the meaning of sexual consent.

Jeffrey Epstein

A convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking of minors. His foundation contributed millions to universities like Harvard and MIT.

University of Texas

The university where Hubbard taught from 1988 to 2021, and where the 2016 conference on sexual consent was hosted.

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What they’re saying

“Like over 1,000,000 Americans, he did have a conviction for a sex-related offense, but from what I could see in 2015, it was for something that would not even have been illegal in most European countries and resulted in a very short sentence. Given his own brush with the law, I believed his Foundation might have been interested in furthering critical discussion of the contours of consent and rape. They weren't.”

— Thomas K. Hubbard, Former UT Professor (statesman.com)

What’s next

The University of Texas has not commented on Hubbard's request for Epstein funding or the controversy surrounding his tenure and teaching. It remains to be seen if the university will take any further action in response to this revelation.

The takeaway

This case highlights the complex ethical issues universities face in vetting funding sources and speakers, especially when it comes to topics as sensitive as sexual assault and consent. It also underscores the need for rigorous policies and oversight around academic freedom and the boundaries of acceptable discourse on college campuses.