MONROVIA, Liberia – Maryland County Senator Brown has challenged the President of the University of Liberia (UL) to explain the prolonged disruption of academic activities, questioning the institution’s management, financial position and plans to restore normal classroom operations.
Brown raised the concerns on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, during a legislative hearing, where he questioned the university president about the challenges confronting the institution after approximately 22 months in office.
The senator sought to establish whether the crisis resulted from inadequate government funding, administrative difficulties or institutional policies that require reform.
He reminded the UL president that she was appointed to lead a transformation process aimed at improving the institution and raising its academic standards, but expressed concern that students remained out of regular classes for several months.
“You were brought in, not just to keep it open, but to transform it,” Brown said, asking her to account for the circumstances that led to the interruption of academic activities.
He also questioned whether the financial resources appropriated by the Legislature and provided by the Executive were sufficient to sustain the university’s operations.
In response, the university president maintained that finances were not the institution’s primary problem, pointing to the support provided by the government.
Brown subsequently asked whether she had submitted a comprehensive transformation plan to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, who appointed her to the position.
She confirmed that a work plan had been submitted but faced further questions about whether the president had approved it and whether it was being used to guide the university’s reform agenda.
The senator also challenged her assertion that the University of Liberia was not closed, arguing that the absence of regular classroom instruction amounted to a shutdown from the perspective of students.
“For us, that’s what we mean that the university is closed. The classes are not operating,” Brown told the hearing.
He said lawmakers were concerned about the situation, noting that several members of the Legislature were products of the institution and understood its importance to Liberia’s education system.
Brown emphasized that the hearing was not intended to assign blame but to create an opportunity for lawmakers and university authorities to identify solutions.
“We want to help. The hearing here is not to cast blame. We want to find solutions,” he said.
In his final question, the senator asked the university president to outline practical measures for resolving disagreements with faculty and staff and restoring academic activities.
He called for a clear roadmap, asking what interventions were needed from the Legislature and the Executive to bring students back to the classroom.
The hearing reflects growing legislative concern over the interruption of academic activities at Liberia’s premier public university, with lawmakers seeking explanations and concrete steps toward resolving the crisis.
