Fendall, Louisiana: Despite speculations of a possible faculty and staff pushback on the appointment of Dr. Layli Maparyan as president of the University of Liberia, the University of Liberia Faculty and Staff Association (ULFASA), the parent body of the UL faculty and staff associations, has endorsed the appointment, promising to work with the new president to address the myriads of challenges confronting the university.
Dr. Layli Maparyan, an American trained academic and womanist scholar, was recently appointed by the visitor of the University and president of the Republic of Liberia H. E. Joseph N. Boakai, Sr., as the 16 president of the University of Liberia following recommendations from the Presidential Search Committee. The committee, headed by acclaimed educator, Mary Laurene-Browne, was mandated by President Joseph Boakai to vet and recommend qualified individuals for the position of president of the University of Liberia following prolonged faculty and staff go-slow and subsequent sacking of president Dr. Julius Nelson, Jr.
In his appointment letter, according to an Executive Mansion release, president Boakai expressed confidence in Dr. Maparyan’s ability, integrity, and extensive experience, emphasising his trust that she would demonstrate these qualities in service to the University of Liberia and the nation. Read more here.
But the appointment of Dr. Maparyan, who is an American national, has generated intense public criticism, with some terming it as an unprovoked way of downgrading Liberian academics who equally hold the requisite qualifications and credentials to lead the UL.
“Government’s appointments, particularly at the nation’s highest institution of learning, should proudly showcase the talents and intellect of a nation,” says Dr. Kemmie Weeks, a Liberian activist and humanitarian.
“This decision is not a good one; we will soon see the faculty and staff laying down their chalks again because from all indications, the president has betrayed the faculty and staff by not appointing a foreigner to lead the UL, especially at this critical period where almost nothing is working, said Jerome (pseudonym), a third-year student of economics at the University of Liberia. “We see ourselves going back to where we came from,” he added.
However, ULFASA, in a press release, stated that the appointment of Dr. Maparyan was done through a transparent process; as such, the association is opened to aiding the incoming president and all stakeholders in finding a lasting and workable long term solutions to the most pressing issues affecting faculty, staff and students.
ULFASA underscored the enormous challenges of becoming a UL president, calling on its members to remain calm as discussions are happening to resolve their welfare issues. “The leadership of ULFASA notes the enormous task of becoming a UL president, especially when the UL is faced with challenges that affect faculty, staff and students. We acknowledge that navigating these challenges and instituting the necessary reforms require careful planning, insightful decision making and implementation for the growth of our dear institution, UL,” the release stated.
Dr. Maparyan will be sworn in as the 16th president of the University of Liberia on January 10, 2025 at the institution’s Fendall Campus. The new UL president holds a doctoral degree (PhD) in psychology from Temple University in the United States of America and is the Katherine Stone Kaufmann ’67 Executive Director of the Wellesley Centers for Women and Professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College, USA. She is known for her scholarship in the area of Womanism, with two books in the field of Womanism, The Womanist Reader and The Womanist Idea, to her credit.
