Faculty members at Albright College agreed this week to hold off on a strongly worded demand that the college's president account for what appear to be misleading statements on his resume, after trustees said they would jointly investigate the matter with the faculty.

Members of the faculty last week had approved a resolution calling for the president, Col. Henry A. Zimon, to account for questions raised in a story last month in The Chronicle about the academic and publishing credentials he listed on the resume he gave the college before he was hired. The article documented evidence supporting faculty members' suspicions about the veracity of some of the credentials he listed.

"As teachers and scholars, we the faculty hold the principles of academic honesty, openness, and responsibility in the exchange of ideas as central to the educational mission of Albright College," they wrote in their resolution last week. "Students and faculty are held accountable for breaches of academic honesty, and the college cannot support a different standard for presidential integrity."

They added that "the failure to respond effectively or to refute the allegations may easily be interpreted by others as an endorsement of the conduct alleged and documented in the Chronicle article. This is an issue for current students, for alumni, for foundations, for recruitment of future faculty, and for fund raising." They also noted that the college could suffe "irreparable harm to its reputation" and that its accreditation could be in jeopardy.

The college's Board of Trustees met Tuesday to discuss the matter and decided to ask members of the Faculty Executive Committee to work with the trustees' Executive Committee on dealing with the questions. The faculty, in a meeting Wednesday that included deans and administrators, voted 36 to 16 in favor of the trustees' proposal. Faculty members Thursday said that they expect the joint committee to report its findings within the next month. "It's a temporary step that we're willing to test," said Achal Mehra, a communications professor. "The view was that this was the first opportunity we have for engaging the trustees. If not, we will go back to the original plan."

The day after the Chronicle article first appeared on line, the college's executive vice-president for administration and finance, Paul Gazzerro, Jr., issued a statement that the questions raised about Colonel Zimon's resume were "false and totally groundless."

"Albright College and its Board of Trustees have full confidence in President Zimon and consider the matter closed," Mr. Gazzerro said. According to the resolution approved Wednesday, the trustees now have agreed to "review and discuss" the matter with the faculty committee in order to "uphold the integrity of the college." The board's chairman, John F. Horrigan, Jr., and Colonel Zimon said Thursday that it would be "inappropriate to comment, given that confidential processes, to which the faculty and the board had agreed, are in place to resolve this matter."

Faculty members, however, said Thursday that they had made no agreements with the trustees to keep the matter confidential.

Copyright 1999, The Chronicle of Higher Education. Reprinted with permission. This article may not be posted, published, or printed without permission from The Chronicle.

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