We Welcome the Doctoral Programs at the University of
Liberia
In 1851, the Republic of Liberia founded the Liberia
College of Social Sciences and Humanities now renamed the Amos C. Sawyer
College of Social Sciences and Humanity in honor of the late Dr. Amos C.
Sawyer, former Dean of the College. I graduated from the Liberia College of Social
Sciences and Humanities from the Political Science Department as the dux for
the entire College with Magna Cum Laude in Political Science. I had the
second Highest average at the University in the Class of 2001/2002 which
graduated on 28th May 2003. My emphasis was in Comparative
Government and Politics. My Minor was in History (European History) and my
Electives in Mass Communication (Print media). All my studies were done within
the Liberia College. Those days all colleges at the University graduated
together on a Wednesday (we will discuss why Wednesdays later time). Liberia
College became operational in 1862 (https://ul.edu.lr/new/). Later, about 100 years after the declaration of the
College in 1951, the University of Liberia was created through an Act of the
Legislature. The Republic of Liberia now had its first University. No other
existed then.
“In 1862, the first President of the Republic of
Liberia, H.E Joseph Jerkins Roberts, was inaugurated as the first President of
Liberia College” (https://ul.edu.lr/new/history/). In fact former President William R. Tolbert
graduated from Liberia College as the dux for the College like me. Interestingly,
with two professors, “Rev. Alexander Cromwell and Professor Dr. Edward Wilmot
Blyden, President Roberts opened the doors of Liberia College in February 1863
to 7 students (Ibid.). My former Dean, Prof. Joseph Barlefay, orally told us
then that the College was operated somewhere on Clay Street. I am still looking
for a written History on this this and the entire University (Dean Barlayfaye
was one of the signatories to the 1986 Liberia Constitution representing Bong
County). Documenting the History of the University of Liberia could be a worthy
research project sponsored by the School. Today, the University of Liberia is
operated on four campuses: the first at the Capitol Hill, the Second at the
Medical College around the St. Joseph Catholic Hospital, the third at Fendall,
and the last in Sinje, Grand Cape mount County.
When the University was chartered by the National Government,
it only offered undergraduate degrees. This meant that students wanting to
obtain a Master Degree in any of the academic disciplines offered at the
University and elsewhere if any then needed to travel out of Liberia to get a
masters degree. Master degrees could not be obtained in Liberia then (we will
later discuss the history of Masters degrees being offered in Liberia). Notably,
a 76-year Oldman was the oldest graduate from the MBA/MPA program in academic
year 2020/2021at the graduate School when I served as an Academic Coordinator
at then. He confided in me that he was the first to obtain a Master degree in
his family. President William V.S Tubman opened the John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical
Center (JFK) as the Teaching Hospital of the University of Liberia. Today, the
Political System in Liberia runs or operate the JFK Memorial Hospital as an
entity on its own. The University does not control JFK as its teaching hospital.
Imagine that! Students from the Medical School and the School of Pharmacy as
well as their professors are still required to practice at this teaching
Hospital owned by the University. JFK is also Liberia’s primary referral Medical
Institution in the Country. We will discuss this symbiotic relationship between
the UL and JFK later time.
Fast forward, graduate studies began with a Diploma in
Regional Science and Planning, now the Graduate School in Regional Science and
Planning. Later H.E Samuel Kanyon Doe, former President of the Republic of
Liberia, negotiated with his Colleague and counterpart, H.E Ibrahim Badamasi
Babangida, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to assist him open
a master’s degree Program in Political Science at the University. Former
President Doe had graduated from Liberia College’s Political Science Department
as dux also and needed his Master’s degree in Political Science. This was how
The Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) Graduate School of International Studies was
created in the late 1980s. Unfortunately, Samuel Doe did not obtain the Master of Arts degree in
International Relations when the Civil War broke out and he got killed. One of
his classmates, the late Prof. Alhaji G.V Kromah and I graduated as classmates
on 29th April 2009. I was the dux for the entire University by then, and the
President of IBB. Professor Kromah taught International Law at the School prior
to his demise.
I graduated with Highest Distinction. The University
would have a single Touch Brearer usually from the undergraduate school those
days because the University was originally an undergraduate University. I was
denied the touch because of such regime in 2009. Presently, there are different
graduation days for colleges and Graduate and Professional programs like law,
medical and School of Pharmacy. In fact the University Charter has not been
revised since 1951. The very Charter I had and used as Chairman of the ever
potent Vanguard Student Unification Party (SUP) from 2001 to 2002 remains the
same Charter that is in force today. Imagine that!! The Liberia National
Legislature that nominates its representatives to the UL Board according to the
Charter has never seen the reason to revise the Charter. The University
authorities proposed a new draft, but it was never enacted (passed by the
Liberia National Legislature and signed by the President). As I see it,
there is a need to revise the Charter to make it contemporary because some of
the existing structures and positions created at the University do not align
with the University’s 1951 Charter. The Legislature and the University
Administration must act to remedy this problem.
On Wednesday, 23rd October 2024, the
University officially launched its Doctoral Programs under the presidency of
H.E Joseph Nyuma Boakai. President Boakai graduated from the University of
Liberia from the College of Business. The initial Doctoral Programs are in the
areas of Public Health and Education Administration/Supervision. The graduate
and research program/department presently offers separate Master Degrees in Public Health and Education
Administration/Supervision. It also offers master degrees in International
Relations, Regional Science and Planning, Environmental Science and Climate
Change, and Peace and Conflict Studies. The University is neither offering
master degrees nor Doctoral Programs in all academic disciplines that it offers
at the undergraduate levels. I pray and hope it will do some day to allow
Liberians the opportunity to study what they prefer in their own country. Other disciplines that are offering graduate
degrees could develop their doctoral programs going forward when they have the
qualified and competent faculties as required universally in the context of
academic rigors. At the University level, generally Masters should teach Bachelor’s
degree programs, Doctoral degrees should teach Master degree students and Drs.
Should teach doctoral students. I am aware that in some cases this has not been
the case. This must change. We have qualified and competent Liberians in and
out of the country. Simply recruit them based on merit and pay them well on time.
The University like anywhere else in Liberia has got
some problems/challenges. Poor Infrastructure is one of the key challenges at
the University. Low wages with delayed Salaries is another. Lack of universal
access to internet is yet another. Infrequent electricity is the other. The
Board of Directors, now chaired by a Senator, with the Administration at the
University must take responsibility of these challenges and problems. The
transformation of the dilapidated infrastructure at the University needs to
occur. There needs to be an upgrade to accommodate the existing undergraduate, graduate,
or post graduate programs. Professors’ salaries need to be increased and paid
on time. You cannot let professors and staff work without pay for months. Such
things invite corruption in some instances. In fact low and delayed salaries
lead to Part-time faculties holding full-time jobs and working as part-time
lecturers at the University. As this writing goes on, Part-time Teachers have
not been paid for last academic year yet. I am highly uncertain that the
University will begin the new academic year this month. If this happens in
2024, I will remain grateful to God. The University needs to and must support
research and innovation. We fund our personally research initiatives.
The University runs its own budget annually, and all graduate students and Law School Students
pay for their studies ($US150.00 for registration and US$75.00 for a credit
hour). Undergraduate school is now tuition free. Former President George Weah
without consultation with the Board and Administration made that tuition free
policy pronouncement abruptly. We Were there. This Government must refine the
policy to its liking. Should public schools’ students attend tuition free higher
Education schools without any responsibility to the State? There should be a
requirement for National Service for all such students after graduation for
instance. Other Liberians are paying their hard earned monies at Private
Institutions. The State has the responsibility to empower its key resource for
development (the people). Where does the money raised by the University go?
Where does the University budget go? As I see it, The University of
Liberia needs to be and must be audited. Salaries at University are
about US$1.5 million monthly. This means about US $18M is spent on salaries
annually. Presently, the University has about US$32m annual budget in the 2024
National Budget. Besides upgrading the archaic infrastructure, we need constant
supply of high speed internet with constant supply of electricity. In fact,
these are things that students, professors and other researchers could use to produce
and advance innovative actions through Research and Innovation. Times have
changed. The University must also change with times by promoting, investing in,
and adequately supporting research and innovation.
AS I SEE IT, the University of Liberia can, should and must serve
as an engine of economic growth for Liberia. Other Higher institutions of
learning must also do. I therefore welcome the Doctoral Programs launched on
Wednesday, 23rd October 2024 at the University of Liberia. Let
us make the University work in the best interest of the Nation. There are
competent, professional, and qualified Liberians in and outside of Liberia that
can be meritoriously recruited and paid handsomely to teach at the University of
Liberia. Every county or district or town, etc. in Liberia has a student at the
University of Liberia. I hope H.E Joseph Nyuma Boakai, President of the
Republic of Liberia and the Visitor to the University of the University of
Liberia who himself is a graduate of the University will appoint the President
of the University of Liberia without further delays. One of Africa’s oldest
Universities needs a President immediately. Liberia, Africa’s oldest Republic, deserves a Doctoral Program. The launch of the doctoral program is long overdue
but welcomed now. Congratulations to the Government of the Republic and
University authorities.
About the Author: Prof.
Tom Kaydor, Jr. holds a PhD from the
Department of Government and European Studies, the New University, Republic of
Slovenia where he researched International Development and Diplomacy (with
Security Aspects). His dissertation topic was ‘Reconceptualizing Africa’s
Regional Integration for Peace and Sustainable Development.’ He earned his
second master’s degree as a Master of Public Policy (MPP) specialized in
Development Policy or Development Economics with Distinction from the Crawford
School of Economics and Government (now the Crawford School of Public Policy),
Australian National University, Canberra, Australia on 17 December 2014. He
obtained his first master’s degree as Master of Arts (MA) in International
Relations (Highest Distinction) in 2009 and Bachelor of Arts (BA) Magna Cum
Laude in Political Science in 2003 from the University of Liberia where he
currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the IBB Graduate School of
International Studies. He also holds a Diploma in Leading Economic Growth from
the Kennedy Graduate School, Harvard University, USA; and he holds other
diplomas and certificates in professional fields. Prof. Kaydor is equally an
Adjunct Professor of Development Studies at the AME University Graduate School.
Dr. Kaydor is an evidence-based researcher and a published author. One can
reach him via (kaydorth@ul.edu.lr or
+231777027180/+231555266613).
