LIBERIIn the words of Emily Dickerson: “we never know how high we are until we are called to rise and if we are true to our plans, then our statute touched the sky”. Indeed, this is fantastically solidified, as also being expressed in the Liberian maxim that good never is lost.
Sincerely, out of that orbit, the academic team of the Prof. Amos C. Sawyer College of Social Sciences and Humanities (formerly Liberia College) of the University of Liberia, under the conscience-driven stewardship of the Dean of the College, Associate Prof. Dr. Josephus M. Gray, on Friday, December 2, 2022, officially dedicated a Faculty Lounge named in honor of Mrs. Thelma E. Duncan Sawyer, widow of Prof. Amos C. Sawyer and alumna of the College and Chairperson of the Board of the Sawyer Foundation.
Mrs. Sawyer is a distinguished and illustrious Liberian mother of acclaimed backgrounds and notable achievements.
Already, ongoing works on the refurbished office space which host the Thelma E. Duncan Sawyer Faculty Lunge has successful been concluded. The dedication of the newly faculty lounge will now reduce the pressure on the Dean’s Official office to host the College leadership meetings, gathering and other unique and required activities.
The total amount spent to undertake the Thelma E. Duncan Sawyer Faculty Lunge is about Eight Thousand United States Dollars (US$8,000). Interestingly, NASSCORP provided US$5,000 towards the College’s project while the balance US$3,000 was raised by the Office of the Dean.
During the dedication ceremony, the President of the University of Liberia who is also a unique team player, Prof. Dr. Julius J. Sarwolo Nelson, Jr., truly a humanist and a well-balanced-minded independently-driven administrator cut the ribbon to the refurbished office space to mark the office opening of the faculty lounge. It will be immediate use by the faculty and staffs of the College and the University of Liberia.
The colorful ceremony which brought together the leadership, faculty and staffs of the Prof. Amos C Sawyer College of Social Sciences and Humanities College. The program took place at the UL Fendall Campus in Louisiana with the authorities of the University of Liberia, leadership and chairpersons of Sawyer College, faculty, staffs, ULFA leadership and Montserrado County Senator, Hon. Saah Joseph being fully represented.
During the program, Dr. Nelson praised the Dean and academic team of the Prof. Amos C. Sawyer College for the Thelma E. Duncan Sawyer Faculty Lounge, which he described as historic achievement and rewarding.
Dr. Nelson used the occasion to provide details report of the numerous dividends from his recent official trip to the United States of America. The report was filled with numerous positive achievements of the institution upward trajectory.
These achievements can not only be referred to as magnificent milestone but by extension, also be described as a “great redemption” for the University and state specifically.
Without an iota of doubts, the University can boost of numerous achievements despite of the severe consequence of the Coronavirus Pandemic which has weighed seriously on the societies across the globe.
These new MoUs imbued with the widely acclaimed quality of education, coupled with the academically tasteful knowledge and wisdom of the faculty’s capacity, development, and students exchange inspiration, have been at the very heart of progress accrued.
All of these historic academic deals are geared towards quality education, faculty, staff and students overseas career development and exchanges to enhance the upliftment of the status of the people-centered the University of Liberia among other higher institutions of learning on the African continent, is derived from the philosophy of the institution students- centered and dynamic President, Prof. Dr. Julius Julukon Sarwolo Nelson, who affixed his great ineffaceable signatures to these landmark academic deals and participated in several vital meetings while in the USA.
Dr. Nelson described the undertaking by the academic team of the Prof. Amos C Sawyer College as a memorial embodiment of hard work, dedication and commitment to duty and the institution. This is a notable achievements for the College, Dr. Nelson noted.
According to Dr Nelson, the newly dedicated Faculty Lounge will also be used to host his Cabinet meeting and other academic activities.
In his welcome address and overview of the Thelma E. Duncan Sawyer faculty Lounge, the Dean of the Prof. Amos C. Sawyer College, Associate Prof. Josephus M. Gray said he was deeply honored and elated to join distinguished chairpersons, professors, instructors, staff of the College and distinguished guests to dedicate the faculty lounge which he described as a dream comes true.
According to Dr. Gray, the faculty lounge project is part of a larger vision for Sawyer College, adding that faculty and students are integral part of the research and teaching at the College. He noted that the faculty lounge would be used by the various academic departments and Units for research purposes and quality teaching, describing the faculty lounge as a necessary tool to impact research at the Sawyer College, particularly the university.
Dr. Gray on behalf of the leadership of the College expressed gratitude to the administration of the institution particularly the President of the University, Prof. Dr. Julius Julukon Sarwolo Nelson for embracing the idea of establishing the faculty lounge at the College and naming the facility in honor of Mrs. Thelma Sawyer.
“We are confident that under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Nelson, the University of Liberia will continue to inspire social scientists and scholars for many generations”, Dr. Gray noted.
According to Prof. Gray, the honor is a reminder that everyone will be remembered somehow in a positive way, and hope it reminds all faculty members of the significance of the faculty lounge to the College, while also it will enhance the academic activities of the hardworking faculty.
Three-day to the dedication of the Faculty lounge, President of the Republic of Liberia and Visitor of the University of Liberia, His Excellency Dr. George Mannah Weah through Dr. Amos C. Sawyer Foundation donated 12 new high-tech sophisticated laptops to the Prof. Amos C. Sawyer College of Social Sciences and Humanities (formerly Liberia College).
It can be recalled that during the 2019-2020 Convocation and Commencement Program, President Weah praised Prof. Amos C. Sawyer College of Social Sciences and Humanities for producing the highest graduates of females in the country.
According to Dr. Gray, the College will always remind grateful to the President of Liberia for support towards human sophistication and technology advancement, quality teaching and learning and higher education particularly the University of Liberia.
Mrs. Sawyer eho serves as a Deputy Minister for Administration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs earned a BA degree in Sociology in 1977 from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, once Liberia College and MA degree in International Relations and MA in Social Works from abroad.
It has been immensely stated and confirmed, that both- Dr. Sawyer and Mrs. Sawyer met at Liberia College in the ‘70s and kept their God’s blessed union until the recent unfortunate death of the former President and Professor of Political Science Dr. Sawyer.
According to Prof. Gray, Mrs. Sawyer and her husband, Dr. Sawyer- a statesman, distinguished professor, political scientist and administrator have strongly contributed to quality learning and teaching at the College, and helped to mold and shape the minds of Liberian youths and attached importance to good governance.
Speaking further, Dr. Gray noted that President Weah donation to the Prof. Amos Sawyer College of Social Sciences and Humanities demonstrates the positive upward new trajectory of the college particularly in the Reas of research, faculty publications, quality teaching and learning, establishment of new departments and expansion of its teaching programs.
Meanwhile, the keynote address was delivered by Montserrado County Senator, Honorable Saah Joseph who received huge of applauses due to his touching speech.
Senator Joseph who described the Thelma E. Duncan Sawyer Faculty lounge as a landmines achievement lauded the Dean of the College.
He committed to providing 20 laptops, 20 printers, air conditional for use by the faculty lounge, ice box and needed teaching essential materials.
He also provided a fully funded master’s degree scholarship to the Prof Amos C Sawyer College of Social Sciences and Humanities to benefit a distinguished faculty (teaching assistant) to enroll at the University of Liberia Graduate studies Program.
