HARRISBURG — The former head of a foundation tied to Pennsylvania's troubled public student loan agency said Thursday his dismissal earlier this year was unfair and an arbitrator should overturn it.

Michael H. Hershock, fired in March as part-time chief executive of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation, said he asked the American Arbitration Association to order his $150,000 salary be paid through the first three months of next year. All told, he is seeking $189,000, plus legal expenses.

"We tried repeatedly over the last few months to discuss and settle this, and got no reasonable response," Hershock said in a news conference.

The foundation board cited Hershock's expenses as the reason for terminating him.

"The board of directors found that some of his explanations for some of the expenses he incurred were inadequate," said foundation spokesman Keith New.

New said the expenses included satellite work on Hershock's fly fishing cabin in the New Mexico mountains and a trip to Alberta, Canada.

New declined to comment on Hershock's arbitration filing.

But Hershock said the board was aware of most of his expenses and that they were both reasonable and for legitimate foundation business.