| By Lawrence Smith
Controversy still continues to swirl around a Glenville State College presidential candidate as college officials refuse to answer questions on how misrepresentations he allegedly made on his resume were not discovered during the screening process.
During his meeting with the public Feb. 14 in the college's Presidents Auditorium, Col. Henry Zimon was asked to explain previous press reports he lied on his resume when he was candidate for the presidency at Albright College in 1999.
Zimon, who was eventually awarded the presidency by Albright's Board of Trustees, refused to answer the questions directly, and instead blamed the publicity on a vindictive faculty member.
"He was a publicly avowed anarchist," Zimon said about Achal Mehra, a former Albright communications professor. "His modus operandi was to stir the pot. I had a bad apple on the faculty."
The matter was blown out of proportion, Zimon said, by the Chronicle of Higher Education who picked up on Mehra's allegations and conducted their own inquiry in his background. Though he would not elaborate, Zimon said some of the facts in the Chronicle's stories were inaccurate.
"They kind of admitted they made an error, but it's very difficult to get reporters to admit they made an error," Zimon said.
Problems Surface in 1999
Albright faculty, led by Mehra, implored the college's board not to hire Zimon based on misleading information on his resume. Among their major concerns were two books he claimed to be in publication, but had yet to be submitted to the publishers, holding fellowships at two Ivy League schools when he only conducted one-time presentations and overstating his ability to disburse money as a strategic planner with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Despite the faculty's concerns, the board hired Zimon as president in March 1999 to assume the post in June 1999. After the board hired Zimon, the faculty continued to press their case against him by posting a Website (http://www.zimonisafraud.com) detailing their findings.
The clash between the two came to a head in May 2001 when Zimon and three other administrators issued a 67-point complaint against Mehra accusing him of "professional unfitness" and "moral turpitude." Adverse publicity resulted in the complaints being dismissed in September 2001.
The drama came to end three years later when Zimon, citing only "personal and family reasons," resigned as president.
Officials Quiet About Search Firm
Prior to Zimon's visit, R. Terry Butcher, a Glenville attorney and chairman of the board's search committee, said the issue of Zimon's resume had filtered back to some of the committee members. The veracity of the allegations against Zimon, Butcher said, was something to be determined after-and not before-the-fact.
"The process is in place with those who have questions about the candidate's resume to address in a public forum," Butcher said. "It would be Col. Zimon's place to elaborate."
However, after the Hur Herald published the story and the Charleston Gazette picked-up on the issue, Butcher said the board was merely following through on the recommendations provided them by a search firm.
Butcher directed further questions to board chairman and Calhoun County Superintendent of Schools Ronald Blankenship.
When contacted by the Hur Herald shortly after Zimon's visit, Blankenship confirmed that the board hired a firm to conduct a search for the new president. The firm, Blankenship said, was one recommended by state officials.
"We asked the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission for their guidelines in hiring a new president, and used a firm they recommended to do the search," Blankenship said.
The first time he learned of Zimon's questionable credentials, Blankenship said, was when it were published in the Hur Herald. The firm provided no indications that Zimon had problems with his credentials, Blankenship said.
"We received no negative information regarding Zimon from them," Blankenship said.
Since then, both Blankenship and Butcher have refused to provide any further details about the search firm.
As of Friday afternoon, neither man complied with a Freedom of Information Act request sent to them requesting information on the firm including how much the college paid for its services.
Board to Make Selection Next Week
Zimon was one of three candidates the board chose from a field of 70 on Feb. 6 to replace President Robert B. Freeman who is retiring June 30. The other two candidates selected were Coastal Carolina Provost and Chief Academic Officer Peter Barr, and former board member Willis Perry.
Each candidate was on campus for two days last month to meet with the board and various campus groups. The board is expected to make its selection during its next regularly scheduled meeting March 15 at 1 p.m. in the college's Louis Bennett Hall conference room.
The board's selection will not become final until approved by HEPC. Once installed, he will receive an annual salary of $134,000.
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