MONROVIA, LIBERIA – The University of Liberia (UL) has intensified efforts to transform the institution into one of Africa’s top 300 universities, with President Dr. Layli Maparyan outlining academic, faculty and infrastructure reforms she says are central to the university’s long-term development.
Speaking on Thursday 20, 2026, at the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing, Maparyan said the university’s ambition to attain a Top 300 ranking is not merely about prestige but provides a framework for addressing more than 20 indicators used to measure the performance and competitiveness of universities.
She said the initiative directly supports the government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, particularly its focus on human capacity building.
According to Maparyan, one of the key areas being addressed is students’ time-to-graduation. She said the global benchmark for undergraduate students is generally four to six years, but achieving that target becomes difficult when universities do not maintain continuous academic calendars.
She recalled that in February last year, the joint Faculty Senate and Academic Coordinating Committee approved a new regularized academic calendar designed to improve academic continuity.
Since then, she said, UL has completed three regular academic terms separated by one vacation school, a development she described as receiving strong approval from students.
Maparyan argued that sustaining the calendar would allow more students to complete their studies within the expected period and would improve the university’s standing under international ranking systems.
Beyond academic scheduling, the UL president identified faculty qualifications as another major determinant of the university’s competitiveness.
She disclosed that approximately 19 percent of UL’s faculty, representing about 150 of the institution’s roughly 800 full-time faculty members, currently hold Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees.
The administration, she said, is pursuing an aggressive strategy to increase that number through international scholarships and study-leave opportunities.
Maparyan said three UL personnel have recently been sent to the University of Delhi on fully funded Ph.D. scholarships provided by the Indian government. Another three, all women, are expected to pursue Ph.D. programs at the University of Botswana under scholarships funded by the university’s vice chancellor.
She also disclosed that another woman is pursuing a funded Ph.D. at Duke University.
These opportunities are in addition to more than 15 UL personnel who are already on study leave pursuing doctoral degrees or preparing to return to the university after completing their programs.
Maparyan said increasing the number of Ph.D.-qualified faculty while expanding women’s representation in the professoriate are both strategic priorities of her administration.
She also announced a new partnership with Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal, which she described as arguably the leading university in Francophone Africa. The partnership, facilitated by Liberia’s Ambassador to Senegal, Ali Sylla, is expected to create additional opportunities for UL faculty to pursue advanced degrees.
Infrastructure modernization represents the third major component of the university’s Top 300 strategy.
Maparyan said the university was allocated US$6.3 million in the 2026 fiscal year for infrastructure renovation and modernization, funding she attributed to the support of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and the National Legislature.
She stressed that the project goes beyond repairing buildings, saying modernization must include electrical, energy and technological systems capable of supporting digitally enabled education.
The UL president thanked the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Public Procurement and Concessions Commission, Ministry of Public Works, President’s Delivery Unit at the Ministry of State, UL Board of Trustees and other stakeholders for supporting the modernization initiative.
She explained that the university’s infrastructure program is being implemented through three overlapping phases.
The first involves addressing immediate emergencies, including leaking roofs and unusable bathrooms. The second involves creating temporary or “swing” spaces that allow classes to continue while larger renovation projects are underway. The third involves comprehensive renovation and modernization of UL’s buildings and facilities.
Maparyan said the university is already advancing all three phases.
She disclosed that UL recently hosted a representative of PHYWE/LN Education Group, a company specializing in science laboratory equipment, to begin developing a comprehensive plan for the renovation and modernization of the university’s STEM laboratories.
She said the laboratory plan is particularly important because laboratory upgrades must be coordinated with building renovations and the energy systems required to support modern scientific education.
Another project highlighted by the UL president is the Solar Oasis Student Utility Park at the Fendall campus.
According to Maparyan, the project will provide 26 new bathrooms and a mini student center equipped with round-the-clock device charging and internet access.
The entire facility, she said, will be powered by solar energy.
She described the Solar Oasis as a pilot project intended to demonstrate what a fully solar-powered University of Liberia could look like, adding that the complex is nearing completion.
Maparyan also addressed two controversies that recently generated discussion on social media.
On complaints about green wooden armchairs at UL, she defended the contribution of Voices of the Elders RL, or VOTE RL, a group of Liberian citizens that raised funds to provide classroom chairs for students.
She acknowledged, however, that students have expressed a preference for modern classroom furniture.
The UL president said the university intends to gradually replace the older wooden chairs with modern furniture as buildings undergo renovation.
She described the donated chairs as an interim solution to an immediate problem while expressing appreciation to VOTE RL for supporting the university.
Maparyan also addressed criticism surrounding the “lite renovation” of the CPAV building.
She acknowledged that the building had previously become the subject of public criticism after videos circulated showing rain entering classrooms.
According to her, CPAV was not originally designed as a classroom facility but was converted for instructional use because of increasing enrollment at UL.
She said the building currently remains part of the university’s swing-space strategy, allowing the institution to maintain classroom capacity while major renovation projects are undertaken.
Maparyan said the long-term plan is to replace the facility with a multistory classroom building.
“Modernization takes time,” she said, emphasizing that the administration intends to pursue the transformation of the university over the long term.
The UL president also provided an update on ongoing discussions with the University of Liberia Faculty and Staff Association leadership.
She said she held what she described as productive and collegial discussions with ULFASA leadership on Tuesday and was awaiting the outcome of the association’s General Assembly.
Meanwhile, she said the university administration was preparing for the reopening of classes, including course registration through the ePortal, orientation programs for new students and the resumption of student identification card issuance.
Maparyan said the reforms are ultimately intended to position the University of Liberia as a stronger institution capable of producing the skilled professionals required to advance Liberia’s development.
She maintained that achieving a Top 300 ranking should therefore be viewed not simply as an institutional achievement, but as part of a broader national effort to strengthen Liberia’s human capital and align higher education with the country’s development ambitions.
