A Presidential Controversy at Albright

By Chloe Mulderig | Monday, November 12, 2001

In the summer of 1998, Albright College began a search for a new president, and in February of 1999, Colonel Henry Zimon was offered the job. Less than a year later, questions arose concerning whether Zimon falsified information on his resumé. Achal Mehra, a communications professor at Albright, led investigations into the accuracy of the resumé and, in spring of 2001, was charged with 'professional unfitness' and 'moral turpitude.' A hearing was planned to decide whether or not to fire Zimon. Only this past September were charges against Mehra finally dropped.

In 1998, Albright College announced that it was looking for a new president to replace Ellen S. Hurwitz. The college's recruitment notice read, 'The President is expected to have: Ability to lead the entire college within a collegial structure in concert with faculty, administration, and students. Ability to communicate persuasively the college's distinctions and mission to diverse groups including prospective students, parents, alumni, volunteers, donors, opinion leaders and the media. ... Record of successful senior-level administrative achievement with evidence of experience in planning, fiscal management, recruitment and fundraising.' The college emphasized that it was not necessarily looking for
candidates to have Ph. D's, but that candidates should be respected in academia and also well trained in economics.

Zimon had listed the book, Reshaping U.S. National Security Strategy: Peacetime Engagement, Regional Stability, and Global Security, on his resumé under the heading 'Selected Professional Publications and Presentations.' He noted that the book was to be published by Praeger, a division of the Greenwood Publishing Group, in 1998-1999. Peter Kracht, an editor at Praegar, noted that no such book had ever been published, nor was any contract to publish ever made with Zimon.

Zimon also listed that he had a book entitled 'CFE: The Making of the Treaty and Its Implications for the Future" "forthcoming/in-progress.' He cited R. James Woolsey as the co-author and named Woolsey as a reference on his resumé. Woolsey, however, denied ever agreeing to publish a book with Zimon, and stated that he had not talked to Zimon in almost a decade.

In October of 1999, just after Zimon took the office of President of Albright College, The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article questioning the validity of President Zimon's resumé. Faculty had begun to voice concerns of the ethics of the situation, and already, Achel Mehra was outspoken on the subject. In the Chronicle, he was quoted as saying, 'Colleges and universities are just not cut out to deal with someone who might be perpetuating a very deliberate and calculating fraud. They work on faith and trust that people speak the truth. It is my opinion that Colonel Zimon is pulling a first-class con job.'

By late 2000, several trustees of Albright College had resigned because of the controversy. Albright, already suffering from financial worries, was struggling and alumni donations were slowing. The issue was becoming a crisis on campus— professors were resigning from committees, writing letters of protest, and accusing the committee that chose Zimon of not only neglecting to research Zimon's resumé, but of actually knowing before that there were falsities and ignoring them. The most prominent of these professors was Mehra, who continued to speak out against tenure for Zimon.

In January of 2001, President Zimon, a member of the search committee, and four administrators began termination proceedings, charging Mehra with 'professional unfitness' and 'moral turpitude,' citing in a complaint that Mehra's actions were a violation of tenure and rank. President Zimon also charged that Mehra's actions were a form of harassment, noting 67 examples of Mehra's protests, including some during classes where Mehra was lecturing. Mehra was formally charged, and the committee hearing was scheduled for May.

Mehra held his ground. Claiming that he was simply upholding the moral
standards of the college and exercising his right to free speech, he stated that, should he be fired, he would sue. 'I will not be intimidated,' he said. President Zimon's office refused to comment to the public about the actions being taken against Mehra or the controversy itself, stating, 'As a matter of policy, the college doesn't comment on personnel matters.'

The faculty of the college, on the other hand, had much to say about the incidents surrounding Mehra's hearing. 'Many others, including myself, view this as a free-speech and academic-freedom issue,' wrote William Seaman, a computer science professor at Albright, in a letter to the committee. Political science professor Bruce E. Auerbach believes that the sole reason Mehra is being charged is because Mehra sent letters to foundations that have given money to the college, informing them of the problems with Colonel Zimon's resumé, which caused some of the groups to demand an explanation from the college. This came at a time when Albright College had been facing severe financial problems for years already. Faculty also cited the difficulty Zimon had hiring a new provost as a reason Mehra was being charged.

The committee seemed to agree that these are the main reasons Mehra was being charge. In May, Thomas C. Brogan, vice president of academic affairs, issued a statement in which he said, 'The college's recruitment and fund-raising efforts have been compromised, and there is no end in sight.' Brogan also accused Mehra of ruining the reputation of Albright College.

Mehra's actions drew the attention of The American Association of University Professors and the efforts of The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). FIRE began a full-scale attack on the committee and Albright College, sending letters to Albright alumni, parents, and trustees, as well as to foundations, corporate donors, and reporters, informing them of the college's actions against Mehra and the hiring of Colonel Zimon. 'We will beat the drum and let the world know that Albright College has a speech code, has no academic integrity, and is run by a totalitarian,' Thor L. Halvorssen, the foundation's executive director, said. 'They are going after someone who is telling the truth for telling the truth.'

FIRE's efforts did not go unrewarded. In the last week of May 2001, the hearing was suspended for the summer. On July 16th, FIRE sent out letters to every member of Albright's Board of Trustees, stating, 'He [Achal Mehra] believes that the soul and reputation of Albright College are on the line. ... FIRE is profoundly concerned with the assault both upon Professor's Mehra's right to due and impartial process to which a professor is entitled and upon his academic freedom to criticize the university and its president, above all on a matter of the most intense public concern and importance. ... We appeal to your sense of academic freedom, honor, and conscience in this matter, and ask for an end to the attempt to silence and punish Professor Mehra for his criticisms of the leadership of his college.'

On the morning of Friday, September 7, the day of the scheduled hearing before a faculty committee, the Albright College administration announced that all charges were being dropped against Mehra, 'given the totality of the concerns and considerations at stake.' Mehra now continues to teach communications at Albright College, Zimon retains his presidency, and the controversy continues.

A Presidential Controversy at Albright

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