University of Liberia

De **University of Liberia** (**UL** anaa **LU** insyd older versions of abbreviation) be publicly funded institution of higher learning wey dey locate insyd Monrovia, Liberia. Authorize by de national government insyd 1851, de university gbele insyd 1862 as **Liberia College**. UL get four campuses: de Capitol Hill Campus insyd Monrovia, de Fendall campus insyd Louisiana, outsyd Monrovia, de Medical School Campus insyd Congo Town, den de Straz-Sinje Campus insyd Sinje Grand Cape Mount County. De university dey enroll approximately 18,000 students den be one of de oldest institutions of higher learning insyd West Africa. Ebe accredited by de Liberian Commission on Higher Education.

## History

Insyd 1847, Liberia declare independence from de American Colonization Society. Insyd 1851, de new national legislature authorize de creation of state college wey dem charter Liberia College. Na dem provide financing by de New York Colonization Society den de Trustees of Donations for Education insyd Liberia, both United States organizations. Dese two groups provide almost all of de funds for de school during de 19th century wey na ebe responsible for hiring de faculty.

After authorization, groups from Clay-Ashland den Monrovia maneuver insyd political circles for attempt make e get de school for dema cities insyd, plus de location eventually dem chose am as de capital city. Dis political battle delay de foundation; for 25 January 1858, de cornerstone of de first building na dem lay insyd Monrovia. Insyd January 1862, na dem inaugurate de school, plus classes dey begin insyd 1863. De nation ein first presido, Joseph Jenkins Roberts, cam turn de school ein first presido insyd 1862 den serve insyd dat post til 1876.

Seven men make up de first class of students, plus college preparatory division wey dey add 18 students to de enrollment two months later. Besides American financing, colleges den individuals from de United States donate books den even de bricks den lumber dem use to construct de school ein building. De library get 4,000 volumes dem estimate for opening. Once dem gbele classes, na de curriculum be standard courses typical for American colleges plus courses such as rhetoric den Latin. Part of de impetus make dem start de school na ebe concern say sam Liberians wey na dem already leave de nation make dem study insyd Great Britain, wich American backers think e fi lead make dem move away from de republican form of government.

During de 19th century, second- den first-year students go fi battle each other for annual ritual over whether dem go allow make de first-year students don trousers. From 1866 go 1902, de school get ten graduates plus long periods between granting degrees. Under de leadership of Edward Wilmot Blyden, school presido from 1881 to 1884, na dem allow make women enroll insyd de preparatory department. During de 1800s, UL den de country suffer from class den caste conflicts, wich lead to de temporary closure of Liberia College for several occasions insyd de 1890s. Na R. B. Richardson be de first alumnus make e cam de school presido.

### 20th century
Na dem found de School of Forestry for de college insyd 1942 by Stephen A. Tolbert, wey na he serve as dean of dat school til 1960. Enrollment increase for de university to approximately 70 students insyd 1948, den to 100 insyd 1950. Insyd 1951, presido J. Max Bond, Sr. den dean Anna E. Cooper help make convert de college into de University of Liberia. Insyd 1951, na dem establish den name de Law School after former Liberia Supreme Court Chief Justice Louis Arthur Grimes. Insyd 1956, de university get enrollment of 259 students.

Insyd 1968, na dem add medical school to de university. Due to civil strife insyd de country, na dem close UL for several occasions, wey dey include insyd 1979, 1984, den 1990. For one incident insyd 1984, students den de University of Liberia faculty protest de Liberian government ein arrest of two faculty members. Liberian Presido Samuel K. Doe send de Liberian Army make dem attack de school for 22 August 1984, wey dey lead to several deaths, more dan one hundred injure, three-month closure, den destruction of sam of de facilities. Na e no grant any degrees from 1989 to 1996 due to de fighting from de First Liberian Civil War. Wen na dem gbele UL insyd 1997, enrollment total 6,000 students, though de civil war damage university facilities wey lead chaw faculty make dem leave de country. De last of de strife end plus de conclusion of de Second Liberian Civil War insyd 2003.

### 21st century
Insyd 2007, na de American Bar Association bia for renovations to de law school. Insyd April of dat year, na de university gbele fresh 200-computer digital center private company bia. Insyd June 2007, de school ein presido suspend classes after faculty strike over back wages dem owe by de government, plus dem re-open classes insyd July. Insyd February 2008, U.S. Presido George W. Bush visit de campus during state visit to Liberia.

China fund US$21.5 million expansion for de Fendall Campus wey begin insyd April 2008, wich dem add more dan five buildings. Insyd March 2009, construction begin for dat campus of de fresh Angie Brooks International Center for Women's Research, Peace and Security, dem name am for honor of Angie Brooks, wey na she be de first African female presido of de United Nations General Assembly as well as de first female associate justice of de Supreme Court of Liberia. Emmet Dennis cam turn de 13th presido of de university dat month, as enrollment top 18,000. Na dem renovate de Harvey S. Firestone Quadrangle Science Building for de main campus by Firestone Liberia wey dem re-open am insyd November 2009.

Insyd 2013, all 25,000 applicants fail de University of Liberia ein entrance exam. De university later bow to government pressure wey dem give places to 1,800 students.

## Academics

De university be de oldest degree-granting school insyd West Africa, wey ebe accredited by Liberia ein Commission on Higher Education. Dem dey teach classes for English insyd plus de academic year wey dey run from September thru August. Undergraduate students dey earn bachelor's degrees after four years of instruction, while de graduate programs dey offer master's degrees after two years of post-graduate work. Dem dey confer doctorates insyd medicine after dem plete seven-year program.

As of 2019, na dem enroll 18,753 students for de university for all departments insyd, of wich na 12,278 be male den 6,422 be female. Dis make de university de largest by enrollment insyd Liberia. Na UL get 331 faculty members then. Na de faculty be male-dominated, plus 304 men den 27 women.

Dem divide de school into six colleges, three graduate programs, den three professional schools. Colleges for de University of Liberia dey include de Liberia College of Social Sciences den Humanities, de College of Business den Public Administration, de College of General Studies, den de T. J. R. Faulkner College of Science den Technology. Additionally, der be de William V. S. Tubman Teachers College den de William R. Tolbert College of Agriculture den Forestry, both dem name after former presidos of de nation.

Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, de law school per insyd Liberia, na dem add am to de university insyd 1951. Na dem gbele de A. M. Dogliotti College of Medicine for partnership between Italy ein A. M. Dogliotti Foundation den de government of Liberia. Dem dey require students of de medical school make dem give one year of service for rural areas insyd after graduation. De School of Pharmacy be de third professional school. At de same time, graduate programs dey include de Ibrahim B. Babangida Graduate Program insyd International Relations, de Graduate Program insyd Regional Science, den de Graduate Program insyd Education Administration.

For addition to de schools den departments of study, UL dey house five institutes. Dese be de Institute for Research, Institute for Population Studies, Kofi A. Annan Center for Conflict Transformation, Center for Millennium Development Goals, den de Confucius Institute. De Confucius Institute dey teach de Chinese language den culture wey e sanso dey for cooperation plus de Changsha University of Science and Technology.

UL be member of de Association of African Universities.

## Facilities
De publicly funded university get four campuses. De Capitol Hill Campus insyd downtown Monrovia, medical campus, Straz-Sinje insyd Grand Cape Mount County den de Fendall campus, about 14 miles northeast of Monrovia. De College of Agriculture den Forestry dey for de rural Fendell Campus. De university dey provide several buses make dem transport students between dese campuses. Na dem initially design de main campus by Dr. J. Max Bond Sr., de former university presido from 1950 to 1954.

## Notable alumni
Alums dey include past den present Liberian politicians den academics. Dese dey include former vice pee of Liberia Joseph Boakai den former presidos Arthur Barclay den Joseph James Cheeseman. Candidates for de 2005 Presidential Election include UL alums Nathaniel Barnes, Varney Sherman, Togba-Nah Tipoteh, den Joseph Woah-Tee. De chairperson, Jerome Verdier, den de vice-chair, Dede Dolopei, of de Truth den Reconciliation Commission be alumni. Oda alums be attorney Francis Y.S. Garlawolu, Chief Justice Johnnie Lewis, politician Charles Brumskine, Foreign Minister Olubanke King Akerele, den former United States Ambassador to Liberia den founder of de Maryland Industrial den Agricultural Institute for Colored Youths, Ernest Lyon among odas.

## Presidos

* Dr. J. Max Bond Sr. (1950–1954)
* Dr. Kermit C. King (1954–1958)
* Dr. Rocherforte L. Weeks (1957–1972)
* Dr. Advertus A. Hoff (1972–1975)
* Dr. J Bernard Blamo (1975–1978)
* Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown-Sherman (1978–1984)
* Dr. Joseph G. Morris (1984–1987)
* Dr. Stephen M. Yekeson (1988–1990)
* Dr. Patrick L. N. Seyon (1991–1996)
* Dr. Frederick S. Gbegbe (1996–1999)
* Dr. Ben A. Roberts (1999–2003)
* Dr. James N. Kollie Sr. (2004, acting)
* Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh (2004–2008)
* Dr. D. Ansu Sonii Sr. (2008, acting)
* Dr. Emmett A. Dennis (2008–2017)
* Dr. Ophelia Inez Weeks (2017–2019)
* Dr. Julius J. S. Nelson Jr. (since 2019)
* Dr. Layli Maparyan (2025)

## References


## External links
Wikimedia Commons get media wey dey relate to ******.

* African Network of Scientific Institutions – Engineering Division, University of Liberia
* UNESCO report