-Amidst aging faculty members
By George Y. Sharpe
Amid the mounting food insecurity in Liberia, the William R. Tolbert, Jr. College of Agriculture and Forestry of the University of Liberia has graduated 458 students with Bachelor of Science Degrees various diciplines, as the faculty members are said to be aging.
Degrees were awarded in General Agriculture, General Forestry, Agronomy and Home Science and Community Development at the December 6, 2018 99th commencement convocation at its UL Fendall Campus outside Monrovia.
Some of the 2018 graduates seated at the ceremony on the UL Fendall campus
Convening the convocation, the Dean of the College narrated a string of achievements at the College and made proposal for improvements in the faculty, but said more young and qualified Lecturers need to be recruited.
“We are glad to inform you that currently we have eight of our faculty members abroad pursuing terminal degrees or PhDs in various agriculture discipline. We would like to have more young people joining our faculty to continue the good work we have been doing over the years”, said Dr. Moses Zinna who once served as Agriculture Minister of Liberia.
He said a huge number of the current faculty member at the College have aged and they are becoming exhausted gradually.
Prof. Zinna, who is former Liberian Agriculture Minister, also spoke of the vital need to add the Departments to the college to award degrees in the fields of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Agricultural and Extension Education, Fishery Science and Land Governance are vital.
“We are also hopeful of beginning graduate programs in Agronomy, Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Agricultural and Extension Education, Animal Science and Agriculture Engineering by 2021 in line with the University’s mission to be among the top 20 Universities in West Africa in seven years.”
Three hundred fifteen (315) students got degrees in General Agriculture, ninety-three (93) in General Forestry, forty-three (43) in Agronomy and seven (7) in Home Science and Community Development on Thursday.
Dr. Zinna lauded the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture,and the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the Construction of an academic complex for the College at the University’s Fendall Campus.
At the same time, he paised the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for providing internship training opportunities given students in Home Science and Community Development.
The Commencement Speaker was Madam Jeanine Cooper, Founder and Senior Managing Partner of FABRAR Liberia Incorporated, a rice producing company.
Madam Jeanine Cooper, Founder and Senior Managing Partner of FABRAR Liberia Inc
She said graduates of the College should keep in mind society will look up to them, for not just food production, but as anchors of Liberia’s development.
Madam Cooper reminded the graduates to keep in mind that society will look up to them for not just food production, but as anchors of Liberia’s development.
The prominent Liberian woman agribusiness woman propelled them to be creative and make use of existing resources to contribute to food production and the preservation of the Liberian forest.
Madam Cooper said the graduates should see the proliferation of new products on the Liberian market as an opportunity to demonstrate their value as technicians in the areas of Agriculture and Forest.
“You have the knowledge, the resources and technology is here to help you. Make one new product at least once a year,” the Liberian rice production executive told the graduates.
She noted there are many opportunities in food production, preservation and forest management that young Liberians can take advantage of.
There are lots of the technological advances in the 21st. century that agriculture and forest technicians can hinge on to reduce the food insecurity in Liberia and keep the country green, the FABRAR Liberia Incorporated founder said.
The UL Agriculture College 2018 commencement speaker stated that Liberians are creative people who could use social media such as Facebook to launch a successful business.
Madam Cooper, an agribusiness personnel, informed the four hundred fifty-eight (458) graduates that the supply, repair and maintenance of farming inputs will depend on their expertise owing to their qualities as products of the University of Liberia.
She charged the graduates should be encouraged by the demand for agricultural products on the urban markets in Liberia get involved with the production of goods and services in the areas of Agriculture and Forestry.
The Founder of FABRAR Liberia Incorporated called on folks with agricultural skills help in the production of healthy and green products.
Liberians are endowed with helpful enabler which is a spirit of invincibility and pride that, she said they demonstrated to defeat Ebola in few years back, she said.
“Your social networks of family and friends, extended family and friends of friends…these people will help you to identify and capitalize on opportunities. Some will advise you and some will pay. They will help you,” Madam Cooper told the UL Agriculture graduates.
Uraduates of Universities will only succeed, she said, by engendering creativity and entrepreneurial minds.
The William Richard Tolbert College of Agriculture is an offshoot of a partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization over fifty years ago.
The College was opened at the University in 1962 and it has since been making significant impact in producing technicians in the fields of Agriculture and Forestry.
Presently, there are five (5) undergraduate (BSc) degree granting departments and one (1) non-degree granting department in the College of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Liberia.
These include the Departments of General Agriculture, General Forestry, Agronomy, Home Science and Community Development, Wood Science and Technology and non-degree granting Department of Agricultural Extension.
University of Liberia President, Dr. Ophelia Weeks described the Agriculture College as “the Bread Basket College” and called on the graduates to provide food for Liberians, protection for the country’s forest, and prevent climate change.
“Our Country is blessed with water, sunshine and land, make use of these resources and feed every Liberian and keep our country green,” Dr. Weeks told the graduates in her routine greetings on a wet December 6, 2018 morning. Reporter George Sharp is President, Mass Communication Students Association at the UL