Members of Bard College’s faculty have called on the group’s board of trustees to develop a “transition in leadership” plan for Leon Botstein but stopped short of calling for the college president to resign in the wake of revelations about his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The board of trustees announced on 19 February that it had retained the outside lawfirm of WilmerHale to conduct an “independent review” into communications between Epstein and Botstein, who has served as the college’s president for 50 years.

Faculty have – until now – been silent about the revelations, which emerged as part of the latest tranche of emails and other communications released by the Department of Justice, and included that Botstein took a trip to Epstein’s island in 2012.

One person involved in the matter said members of faculty have discussed how to respond to the controversy for two weeks, and debated different courses of action, including some who wanted to call for Botstein’s resignation, and believed that enough was now known about his relationship with Epstein to be considered “disqualifying”.

Botstein has previously defended his relationship with the sexual predator, who pleaded guilty to state charges of solicitation of prostitution and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor in 2008.

Botstein, who has been at Bard since 1975, has said he first came into contact with Epstein in 2011 – years after it was known that Epstein was a sex offender – after he received what was called an unsolicited gift of $75,000 from Epstein to Bard High School Early College. Botstein said he pursued the relationship “in fulfillment of my responsibilities as the chief fundraiser of the college”.

He has also said in a letter to the campus community that Epstein was “not my friend”, according to reporting by WAMC News.

Botstein has also alleged that he was ill and stayed by himself during a dinner that he attended on Epstein’s island in 2012, and that he went solely to attend a fundraiser there with the billionaire investor Leon Black.

Ultimately, the statement that was agreed by faculty representing several divisions of the college, which was then presented to the faculty senate, who agreed to share it with the board, took a more conservative approach.

“This statement represents faculty voices across academic disciplines at Bard College, who urge open inquiry, institutional self-examination, and commitment to change at this time. The gravity of the situation demands both moral clarity and procedural fairness,” the statement reads.

“We share in the profound outrage and horror at the revelations contained in the Epstein files and extend our deepest support to the women and children who were exploited, trafficked, entrapped, and abused by Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. The revelations about President Botstein’s relationship to Epstein raise questions that concern the College as a whole as well as President Botstein personally.”

The statement also expresses support of the board’s decision to arrange for an independent review of the files and the college’s policies on donor vetting, fundraising, codes of conduct and conflicts of interest.

“We believe that the faculty must be integral to deciding next steps following the investigation, with the aim of building toward a strong future for the institution,” the statement says.

The faculty statement also points to what is referred to as “Botstein’s proposal” to develop a plan for a transition in leadership. This is a reference, a person involved in the matter said, who did not want to speak on the record because of possible retaliation, to comments Botstein is alleged to have made in a February meeting with faculty leadership and program chairs, in which he raised the possibility of his retirement in the near future. This was interpreted by people who heard it as meaning either within the calendar year or in 2-3 years, the person said.

In a statement to the Guardian, the board of trustees said: “The law firm is considering all comments and communications, and is proceeding as quickly as possible consistent with a thorough review. The Board aims to share the results as soon as it is able to.”