Alabama State University has joined the University Consortium of Liberia, an Atlanta-based non-profit organization strengthening the academic ties between U.S. and Liberian universities.
Emmet Dennis, president of the University of Liberia who serves as the honorary chair of the consortium, and Gwendolyn Boyd, president of Alabama State University, signed a memorandum of understanding to encourage faculty and student exchanges, study abroad and service learning programs and joint research projects.
The memorandum was signed on June 5 in the office of Cynthia L. Blandford, the honorary consul general of Liberia in Atlanta, who first launched the consortium initiative in 2009 and helped guide its establishment as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 2014.
The University of Liberia has three campuses in and around Liberia’s capital city, Monrovia, and dates back to 1863 when it started as Liberia College. A total of 36,000 students are enrolled at the university, which has six colleges and three professional schools including law and medical.
Alabama State University in Montgomery, the state capital, has approximately 5,600 students from around the country and abroad. It was founded in Marion, Ala., in 1867 by freed slaves.
Dr. Dennis told Global Atlanta prior to the signing ceremony that the consortium represented a new era for education in Liberia that has been plagued by civil war and the ebola virus.
“There is now a whole new world,” he said concerning the containment of ebola and the end of civil conflict. “Some of our students know nothing but conflict and conflict mentalities. Now they will have the opportunity to learn civility and confidence.”
Dr. Boyd said that Alabama State University’s students would benefit from opportunities offered by the consortium to develop skills enabling them “to love and work in a global society with civility and respect.”
Alabama State University is the 21st institute to join the consortium. Other universities in Liberia that belong to the consortium are African Methodist Episcopal University in Monrovia; Tubman University in Harper, Maryland County, Liberia and University of Liberia in Monrovia.
U.S. institutions in the consortium are: Atlanta Technical College; Clark Atlanta University; Emory University; Fort Valley State University; Georgia Gwinnett College; Georgia Institute of Technology;
Georgia Piedmont Technical College; Georgia State University; Kennesaw State University; Morehouse College; Morehouse School of Medicine; North Dakota State University; Savannah State University; the Carter Center;
the Technical College System of Georgia; Tuskegee University and the University of Georgia.
Collectively the institutions have partnered in a wide variety of projects including poultry production, training of government officials, the establishment of a center of excellence on information and communication technologies, the creation of an architecture curriculum, a mental health program; entrepreneurship and sustainable programs, workforce development and STEM teacher training.
To learn more about the University Consortium for Liberia, Ms. Blandford may be reached email at cblandford@UCLiberiacom or by phone at 404 565-1154.
GSU-CIBER is the presenting sponsor of Global Atlanta's Education Channel. Subscribe here for monthly Education newsletters.
