Dr. Layli Maparyan, a New Face of the University of Liberia

In 2004, I was a few months into my University of Liberia life when I experienced my first taste of campus riot. This time, it was the result of faculty and students resisting the appointment of Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh, citing that he was an “outsider” to the University. I was tear-gassed by UNMIL police officers and from that day, I changed my mind set about the safety of students one the campus – I had to always be ready anytime.

Fast forward to 2009, Dr. Emmet A. Dennis was appointed as president of UL, and again there was disagreement over his appointment as some faculty and students lamented that he wasn’t a graduate of the University. As I have learned, it has been a long-standing tradition of the University to hire an alum of the university as president. A reason for holding on to this tradition, as I have been told, is that if one has felt the “struggles” as a UL student, he/she certainly shares something in common with most of the faculty and students, and that automatically guarantees their success. Well, I think that’s a debatable concept but I ‘ll leave it for the “experts” of UL politics. Contrary to traditions, Dr. Emmet Dennis went on to lead the University to becoming a safe and welcoming environment for all. During Dr. Dennis' tenure, he opened doors for faculty and students to exchange experiences which attracted scholars like Dr. Layli Maparyan who would later begin discussions for a Gender Studies program at UL.

I met Dr. Layli Maparyan in 2009 when she visited Liberia with a mission to contribute to our national development agenda, specifically in areas of gender studies. Between 2009 and 2010 as gender studies program development leader, Dr. Maparyan had a series of discussions for the development of a gender studies program at University of Liberia. Her approach was focused on engaging stakeholders such as students, faculty, administrators, civil society, partners, and the government of Liberia. She met and discussed with students at the famous UL Palava Hut, sat in lecture rooms and engaged faculty and students and discussed gender issues and how they could be factored into the curriculum. On one of those days with Dr. Maparyan, we rode together to the UL Fendall Campus alongside the then smartly dressed ULSU representative to UL administration at the time, now Dr. Augustus Panton. I quietly sat and listened to Drs. Maparyan and Panton discuss a variety of issues. At Fendell, Dr. Maparyan stood before a half-filled auditorium and had an interactive discussion with students on gender studies and gathered students’ perspectives. These engagements, I strongly believe, gave her some perspective of the challenges in and out of the classroom at the University of Liberia. After years of collaborative work with key stakeholders, a College of Gender Studies and Interdisciplinary Research was launched in 2019.

Over the years, Dr. Maparyan has served in several roles that have had great impact on higher education in Liberia. From 2010 to 2012 she served as Chair of the Board, University Consortium for Liberia (UCL), a nonprofit organization focused on coordinating diverse academic efforts between Liberia and the global community. She returned to board duties in 2021 and has since made significant effort in attracting funding to the organization. Since 2009, the UCL has collaborated with students, university faculty, and other academic professionals and strategic international partners to increase learning in Liberia and the United States. I had the distinguished honor of being a UCL scholar and serving, as the only student, on the board of the UCL for 6 years. As Executive Director of the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) at Wellesley College, Dr. Maparyan has recently been between the US and Liberia working on a 5 million USAID funded project, the Higher Education for Conservation (HECA) where she serves on curriculum development for soft skills, forestry biodiversity and conservation as well as gender, equity, and social inclusion lead expert. I was fortunate to have been part of the initial team led by Dr. Maparyan to develop the proposal for the 5 million USAID grant. I must say that I learned a lot working with Dr. Maparyan. Her attention to details, professionalism, ability to demystify complex scenarios and overall, her excellent communication and leadership qualities are few of her unique attributes.

Having known and worked with Dr. Maparyan for more than a decade, it was no surprise to me that President Joseph Boakai, after a comprehensive search for a new president, appointed her as the 16^th President of the University of Liberia. I believe she will become the NEW FACE of the University of Liberia considering her active engagement with the University of Liberia community in areas of significant needs for the last 15 years. I trust that she’ll be actively engaged with the campus community, encourage excellence in various academic fields, represent the University of Liberia positively and restore a system of order that is so desperately needed for a well-functioning UL. In her inaugural speech today, she outlined her values in her capacity as president of UL, the FIVE Es (Education, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Excellence and Ethics). As someone who has taught at colleges and Universities in the US such as Spelman College (Dr. Maparyan’s alma mater), Kennesaw State University and now an adjunct at Howard University in Washington DC, I share similar values and here are my perspectives of each.

Education: An educator once said that “education is not merely bookish facts but the fundamental ability to think clearly.” To uphold this value, we need to reimage teaching and learning at the University of Liberia where knowledge, skills (hard and soft) and positive dispositions become the core elements of teaching, learning and career development. Our faculty must tailor their teaching to active engagement of students with the materials, encourage them to analyze, evaluate and synthesize information through research, writing and classroom discussions. The enabling environment must be available where students have access to diverse knowledge and perspectives. Also, adapting a student-centered teaching and learning philosophy, I believe, will prepare our students for lifelong learning and responsible citizenship.

Effectiveness: effectiveness of the university of Liberia’s faculty and staff will be a key determinant of measuring students' learning outcomes and their success. Effectiveness should focus on learning outcomes and students’ success that align with teaching objectives. Being effective must have a student-centered approach as they are the reason the faculty and administrators have their jobs. As there are growing needs of students in today’s job market, career/professional development that focuses on developing students’ soft skills must be factored into the university’s strategic plan for the next 4 years.

Efficiency: One of the biggest challenges the University of Liberia faces is the unnecessary bureaucratic process which, I believe, has rendered the University inefficiency in most if not all its administrative and academic operations. The university needs to make maximum use of resources available to them. Speaking of resources, the Government of Liberia must increase the UL budget to an amount that will sufficiently support the FIVE Es. Academic calendar, as Dr. Maparyan stated in her inaugural speech, must be predictable and respected so that students, faculty, and support staff can plan effectively. In addition, administrative processes that lead to entrance and exit of students need to be streamlined to conform to 21^st century academic efficiency. Also, the university must ensure efficient optimization of technology to boost teaching and learning experiences of faculty and students.

Excellence: to uplift operational excellence, the university must foster a culture of continuous improvement in and out of the classroom. The standards for excellence must be set from the admission of students to their graduation. Additionally, faculty must adhere to prescribed teaching and research quality that support students’ careers. In the end, acknowledgement and reward for outstanding faculty and students’ achievements should be a symbol of excellence.

Ethics: It is a well-known fact that the University of Liberia has struggled with adhering to ethical academic and administrative practices. A failure in any one of the previous Es, I think, will have a trickle-down effect on ethical practices. Upholding academic integrity and responsible conduct of research and teaching as well as administrative practices, from the office of the President to the student community, will measure the outcome of the values of Education, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Excellence and Ethics at the University of Liberia.

While I have a strong conviction that Dr. Maparyan will succeed in restoring a system of order at the University of Liberia, it must be important to note that this is a shared responsibility of the faculty, staff, students, civil society, and the Liberian government.

Saki Golafale, Ph.D.

Former UCL Board Member and UCL Scholar

Maryland, USA

Liberia Elections Ex-footballer Weah wins run-off to become Liberia's president

CGTN Africa

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf: The anger that may have revealed itself at the ballot box

On December 24, 1989, change revealed itself to Liberia through the uncompromising power of BULLETS that took away the lives of about 250,000 people. Interestingly, Liberia's president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was an engineer of the revolution at the time. Exactly 28 years after, change revealed itself again, but this time, through the BALLOTS. Liberians went to the run-off election on December 26, 2017, to elect a new president to replace outgoing president Ellen Sirleaf. The run-off was between soccer legend George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change and Vice President, Joseph Boakai of the ruling Unity Party.

Whoever president Sirleaf-Johnson voted for is her privacy, but the facial expression seen in this photo sent out a strong message. Voting, I think,  should be a joyful expression of everyone's political will which determines who leads and who does not.  When one wears a facial expression, like that of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's while making a conscious decision, to me, sends a strong message of anger, and as the songwriter says, "don't make a decision when you're mad (angry)". The anger that she wore didn't derive from being deprived of self-worth or basic social services like the ordinary Liberians. It definitely didn't come as a result of not ending her two terms in office. As a president for 12 years, it should have been a happy moment, but for Ellen, it didn't seem. Many questions may arise from this photo considering the last months of political rivalry and electoral problems in Liberia. Regardless of President Sirleaf's facial expression, a vote was cast and a winner and a loser will be determined in two days when the National Elections Commission announces the results.

Before my next article on this issue, I will speak to a psychologist on how voting with anger impacts a conscious decision.

And the winner is...

The winner is...

Education is a key ingredient for acquiring political knowledge and leadership

By Saki T. Golafale

"Being academically knowledgeable" or "to know book" as it is said in Liberia, has become a major point of discussion in our body politics. One group of people has condemned the essence of academic education as a basic requirement for political leadership while another group holds onto the belief that education matters for political leadership, especially for the presidency. 

When Senator George Weah stepped into the presidential race in 2004, it wasn't strange to many who followed our politics during the Charles Taylor's era when it was rumored that Mr. Weah was eying the presidency. Very soon, while Liberians were still nursing the agonizing experiences from the war, they were faced with the huge task of deciding between a highly educated Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and a football icon, George Weah, who barely had a high school education. Did education matter by then? To many, it didn't matter. However, the result of the 2005 elections did answer some questions. Whether it was based on the lack of solid education and political experience that robbed Mr. Weah the chance to lead one of the poorest countries in the world or it was Mrs. Sirleaf's highly rated and energized campaign that handed her the golden opportunity of becoming Africa's first elected female president, the result of 2005 presidential election does matter to Liberians. Mr. Weah's loss to Mrs. Sirleaf in 2005, regardless of how history records it, has, to a greater extent, influenced Liberia's democracy. A democracy where the debate over who is educated or politically educated to lead is still ongoing. 

An evidence to this is Mr. Weah's cognizance of his limited education to lead which might have prompted his decision to further his education. After 13 years, the essence of education to political leadership still remains a debate. Mr. Weah now presents himself as a bachelor and masters degrees holder, which were missing from his CV in 2005. He has also represented the people of Montserrado in the Senate for three years. On the other hand, Vice President, Joseph Boakai, with a BA degree, presents a long list of public service experience, including being vice president for 12 years. As Abraham Darius Dillon would say, "going by academic credentials Weah is or should be more educated than Boakai". Whether  Mr. Dillon was being sarcastic or not, this is a fact. Does the difference in academic credential end the debate of educated vs uneducated? It certainly doe not! Mr. Weah has been labeled as "uneducated" by some of his supporters and nonsupporters despite his reportedly "earned" degrees. A recent outburst of social media posts by Liberia's education minister, George K. Werner, in support of Mr. Weah confirms this. For this, Mr. Werner has been condemned in many quarters and labeled "unqualified" to serve as minister of education. Contrary to Werner's argument. Weah reportedly went to "school" to get himself prepared for the presidency. 

It is generally known that acquiring academic degree differs from being considered "educated". While education is not only about academic papers but also about how one conducts himself for the general good of society, three university professors define education as not merely of bookish facts but the fundamental ability to think clearly. Does Mr. Weah think clearly before he speaks? Do his statements correlate with what he does politically? The evidence of Weah's poor output unveils every time he speaks in public or on an interview. His thoughts on important issues drift far apart from reality and make one question his political judgment and his ability to lead. 

In recent times, Mr. Weah told Liberians that "protecting Elen Johnson-Sirleaf" is his most important agenda as president. He has also expressed his desire to support Robert Sirleaf's bid for the Senate if he joins his CDC party. More interestingly, his criticism of the Sirleaf's government has naturally died and recently went on to grade her government 80%, something many political pundits rated him low. On his sharpness on socioeconomic issues, Mr. Weah has presented one of the most wired economic approach to budget shortfall as seen directly quoted below (unedited).

" When rice is expensive and you know da you got a shortfall in the budget, then reduce the price of rice so those who all da na even working but can make ends meet can buy it. So dor when there shortfall, we can na again support scarcity. You understand? What need to be done for allor us because we have a responsibility."

It is mind-boggling to think that Mr. Weah was serious when he made those statements, but his body language, as seen in this video confirms his seriousness at the issue. Additionally, Mr. Weah's speeches, to a greater extent, makes no sense to many. His famous speech in Nimba County and many others are reasons to condemn Weah's master's degree. While his education remains a question, his political education also remains blurry as "education is a key ingredient for acquiring political knowledge" in this modern time. Has Mr. Weah acquired political knowledge to lead Africa's oldest republic? Has Mr. Weah demonstrated his ability to lead based on proposed policies as a real political leader would do? Certainly not!

We must be glad to know how education has influenced our nation and the democracy we enjoy, but the question of who is "educated" or "uneducated" and politically knowledgeable to lead will continue to surface in our body politics. We haven't reached a point in our history where people are punished for being "educated" or "uneducated". But we have reached a point where we can collectively set standards as to who leads and who does not. While Mr. Weah himself has not publically agreed that he lacks solid education and knowledge of political leadership, despite his embarrassing and distorted speeches, it is evident that Weah's continuous expression of his ignorance of political leadership has resonated with many, and that for which, voters will have on their minds at the ballot box.

About the author: Saki Golafale holds a BSc. degree in chemistry from the University of Liberia and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Clark Atlanta University where his research focuses on functional materials for gas adsorption and photochemistry. He hails from Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia. He can be reached via email at stgolafale@gmail.com 

Snowfall in Marietta Georgia

An unexpected snow day in Marietta, Georgia where I spent time shooting photos and videos of anything that had snowflakes.  It was an amazing experience. I made a short video with photos and thought to share with you. What a day it was!

Me building snow tower on my car

Stop Snow Now!

I know this might sound stupid to most people, but I am making a global call to STOP SNOW NOW. 😂