Kenneth Glad
The findings cover misconduct allegations stretching across several generations. Former students have also described how the alleged abuse affected them long after they left the school.
An independent report commissioned by Interlochen Center for the Arts describes about 70 sexual abuse allegations involving nearly 50 adults associated with the Michigan institution from the 1950s through the 2010s.
NPR reported that Sanghavi Law Office carried out the review and found gaps in oversight that sometimes gave adults extensive private access to students. Young people living away from home could also have limited contact with their families, one of several circumstances identified as making students more vulnerable.
The school began the investigation in 2024 after a former student came forward with allegations concerning a longtime faculty member and administrator. In a letter released with the findings, Interlochen said it is now “fundamentally different from the institution described in this report.”
Interlochen has pointed to counselors, social workers, a psychologist and other safeguards available to students today. The review has also renewed attention on how former students say earlier cases were handled.
A former student recounts his experience
One of the former students who has spoken publicly is Paul Busch, who studied ballet at Interlochen. He told NPR that teacher Thomas Clower sexually abused him in 2005, when Busch was 16.
Busch had enrolled with hopes of building a professional dance career and regarded Clower as an important mentor.
“A lot of my desire was to prove that I was enough,” Busch said. “That I was good enough and that I was worthy of love.”
Busch said Clower sexually touched him during a visit to the teacher’s home while another teenage student was present.
Court records reviewed by NPR show that Clower pleaded guilty to attempted fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and required to register as a sex offender. Interlochen also dismissed him.
Busch later attended Juilliard and danced professionally for more than a decade. Despite that success, he said that he struggled for years with trauma and substance use.
His case is one part of a much broader history described in the external review. According to the school’s account of the investigation, the findings also include allegations involving Jeffrey Epstein, an Interlochen donor from 1990 to 2003, and two alumni who reported sexual contact with him after meeting him through the institution.
The Epstein allegations sit alongside numerous other accounts involving adults connected with the school over several decades. Interlochen has since created a counseling fund for affected alumni and, according to NPR, sent the names of people accused of misconduct in the review to local law enforcement.
“They get to say, ‘Case closed,'” Busch said. “That is completely unacceptable because — guess what? — my life is still open.”
He said he also hopes speaking publicly will reach others with similar experiences:
“I hope that other people understand that they’re not alone.”
Sources: NPR; Sanghavi Law Office external investigation report
