By Charles Gbayor, maorethason1997@gmail.com
HARPER, Liberia- The President of the William V. S. Tubman University (TU), Dr. Elliott Wreh-Wilson is calling on President George Weah and his Coalition for Democratic Change-led government to constitute a new Board of Trustees for the second state-owned University in the southeastern Maryland County.
William V S Tubman University turned full fresh University in September 2009 during the administration of former Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and has so far graduated over four thousand Liberians from various parts of the Country. Tubman University operates six functional colleges of Arts and Sciences, Health Sciences, Business and Public Administration, Engineering and Technology, Dr. Elizabeth Davies Russell of Education and the College of Agriculture and food sciences.
Speaking during a press conference held on the main Campus of the University on Monday, January 17, 2021, Dr. Wreh-Wilson said he has on several occasions told the Liberian government to set up a new broad of trustees to help coordinate the University affairs in line with us (Administration ) of the University.
Dr. Wreh-Wilson lamented that the University board has not been working with them for some time now; and that his administration was notified prior to the University’s 8th graduation and convocation that was held last June that they will not be working with the University’s administration.
“We got information from the board after the student’s weeks of protests in demand for more removal of some high profiles officials of TU and more teaching staffs at the level of the University that they have no intents in working with us, “ the TU President said.
“We don’t have a board so we now channel all of our challenges through the Ministry of education, the education minister is always ready to listen to our concern and I must appreciate for that,” Dr. Wreh-Wilson noted.
Dr. Elliott Wreh-Wilson disclosed that the board of trustees had earlier on told the University’s administration that he has no intention of working with them anymore, and his his decision came weeks after several protests by students and over him not attending the 8th graduation commencement convocation.
“Our board should help us in advocating for an increment in our budget but we don’t have any, so we ourselves have to do everything on our own in line with got policy,” Dr. Wreh- Wilson explained.
It was also observed that Liberia‘s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Francis Nah Karteh former Chair of the TU board of trustees did not attend the University’s graduation convocation that was held in June of 2021. And his absence from the ceremony was widely discussed by students of the University, even though Harper district Representative, P. Mike Jurry was in attendance as a board member.
When www.newspublictrust.com contacted Dr. Francis Nah Kateh on the issue, he said the board secretary who is the University’s President has not invited him for meeting and “I did not attend or asked me to do something then I refused”.
”I’m not the only board member beside the work we do as board members is a pro bono work and nobody gets pay for that if there are activities and I’m call upon I will show up and performed my task, ” Dr. Kateh said via mobile phone through an SMS.