NYPD investigates death of French academic Richard Descoings found naked in his hotel room In a tribute, President Sarkozy said: "Richard Descoings contributed more than anyone of his generation to furthering the prestige of France's higher education system. As head of Sciences Po for close to 16 years he transformed this venerable institution into an establishment of world renown. The Institute of Political Studies said that Mr Descoings had travelled to New York to attend a conference sponsored by the United Nations at Columbia University. When he failed to turn up to the morning session, his colleagues telephoned the hotel. Staff checked the room but heard what they thought was the sound of snoring. It was only when they returned later in the day that they discovered his body. There were no signs of a forced entry but it appeared that he had been drinking alcohol and there were suggestions that at least one other person had been with him in the room. A family staying next door reported hearing several voices coming from his room late on the preceding night, followed by the sound of two people talking in the hallway on the morning his body was found. His mobile phone and other personal items were recovered by police from the street outside the hotel. Sources said that Mr Descoings' death remained unexplained, and the circumstances in which he was found were "unusual." Paul Browne, chief spokesman for the New York Police Department said however that there was no evidence a crime was committed, adding: "We're awaiting the medical examiner's report as well as toxicology reports." Hundreds of students at Sciences Po attended an emotional service in the university grounds on Paris's Left Bank for the academic. Darko Manakovski, 27, said: "Classes finished early this morning for the service but the courtyard where it was taking place was so packed we had to watch from inside the building. Everyone was shocked, really upset. Tributes to Mr Descoings poured in from France and around the world. Alain Juppe, the foreign minister, said: "France today lost an eminent representative of the French school of political science, a tireless player in the influence of French universities in the world, a remarkable architect of the renewal of a leading institution in French universities. In a joint statement, Jean-Claude Casanova, President of the National Foundation of Political Sciences, and Michel Pebereau, President of the Executive Board of Sciences Po, described Mr Descoings' death an "irreparable loss." Francois Hollande, the socialist candidate in France's presidential election, who himself attended Sciences Po, said Mr Descoings had been a friendly man who was attentive and had a human touch. Two months ago, the married Descoings discussed the possibility that he was the victim of a smear campaign after being "outed" as a homosexual by the establishment Le Monde newspaper. Asked if he had become a target after opening Sciences Po to students from underprivileged and ethnic minority backgrounds, he told the left-wing paper Liberation: "It's possible, but I prefer to be naive rather than to speculate. We had my forced outing in the columns of Le Monde. I do not see what my alleged homosexuality had to do with anything. This also happened at the time of my marriage. The answer? That I'm not homosexual ? No, nothing. When you're not married, no-one has the right to mention that you're with someone, it's the secret of a private life. Mr Descoings" wife Nadia is said to be on her way to New York.