In his resignation letter, trustee J. Matthew Simon, a former president of Point Park College writes, "Board members have a 'duty to care' that requires the exercise of independent and informed judgment. It appears that present 'spin control' is precluding my efforts at obtaining the information and verification I need to function responsibly and effectively as a member of the Board of Trustees."

Simon, who has served on Albright's Board for six years, also states that Col Zimon has denied him information relating to not only Zimon's academic credentials, which have been called into question in published reports, but also his fund raising claims. Simon says that Col Zimon has claimed "astonishing success" in fundraising compared to previous presidents, even stating at a faculty meeting that he had raised more money in two months than the previous two presidents had done in a decade. But a recent college financial estimate projects that unrestricted giving to the college is likely to fall 33% short of last year: down to about $600,000 from over $900,000 in 1998-1999.

The Chronicle of Higher Education (March 24, 2000)reported that Simon was accusing the college's president, Col. Henry A. Zimon, as well as the board's executive committee, of withholding information and trying to cover up the controversy. He says that even as a trustee he was denied information about Zimon's credentials as well as about the contract he had with the college.

Meanwhile faculty members at the college are protesting the participation of renowned poet Maya Angelou at Col Zimon's inauguration on April 7-8. Professors are protesting the $30,000 fees to Maya Angelou in light of the college's financial difficulties and also the use of the poet to distract from Col Zimon's academic misconduct. Over the years, the college has collateralized virtually its entire financial assets to mortgage and bond holders. Some trustees agreed to privately raise Maya Angelou's fees on their own. Several faculty members have written to Maya Angelou asking her to withdraw from the event. And at a faculty meeting on March 8, several faculty members opposed the granting of a honorary degree to Maya Angelou for the same reasons. The degree was ultimately approved after the faculty members were warned that the trustees would award the degree to her even over their rejection.

Col Zimon has been accused with false representations on his resume, including claims that he published two books. Neither book was published and Praeger, which he lists as one of the publishers, says it never contracted nor will be publishing the book. More recently, the registrar's office at Ohio State University confirmed that Col Zimon did not receive distinctions on his masters or PhD degrees, contrary to what Col Zimon claimed in his resume.

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