Under President Elliott Wreh Wilson, Tubman University survives on past glory
By Thomas Wilbur Davis
Our society is failing and falling because we refused to RIGHT the WRONGS! Our refusal may be based on patronage, nepotism, favoritism, tribalism, regionalism, racism, and many other unethical and unacceptable practices. These practices have eaten up the fabric of the quality education that once existed at the William V. S. Tubman University.
I remember when I first entered the second state-owned and operated University, the William V. S. Tubman University, and found myself as a member of the Student Senate in 2015, the University was characterized by QUALITY and EXCELLENCE. It was a student-centered institution. This was under the watch of Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Russell as President, Dr. Anthony G. Dioh, as Vice President for Student Affairs, and Dr. Elizabeth Quezada Enanoria-Carbajosa, as Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Under this team, the William V. S. Tubman University was supervised according to its ethics and standards.
Everything regarding the institution was awarded based on merits. The institution saw a rapid and speedy growth! In no time, our cherished William V. S. Tubman University earned for herself a great deal of public trust and recognized high-quality education. It began the pride and hope of the striking poverty students in Southeastern Liberia and, subsequently, the pride of Liberia when it took the national stage as the best University in Liberia over the years.
This happened because of the solid foundation built by the administration of Dr. Davis-Russell, which was very inclusive of qualify foreign nationals who were integrated into the system to define for us the true meaning of a UNIVERSITY! Diversity, as a core value of the William V. S. Tubman University, was celebrated in full! Instructions were delivered necessarily and appropriately to transform students for wealthy services.
After the administration of Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Russell, came the short-lived administration of a Researcher, Administrator, and an Academician in Dr. Edward Lama Wonkeryor. Dr. Wonkeryor began implementing precisely what was required for the further growth of the William V. S. Tubman University. As an administrator, he was considerate of the foundation built by his predecessor. Even though he was fought politically during his term as President, QUALITY EDUCATION and EXCELLENCE remained the order of the day at Tubman University!
After the Presidential election of 2017, In March of 2018, Tubman University saw a political change in its administration. Something I (Thomas Wilbur Davis) and other enlightened folks saw as unfair and described as “Unprecedented” for our institution. We raised the red flag, but now nobody was willing to listen. We begin the targets of the administration for expressing our honest opinions, which was intended to save the University.
We continue to alarm as the University began leaving the path of quality education and EXCELLENCE in all forms. The more we alarmed, the more we were hated! We were always insulted and deprived of opportunities that we merited for standing up! We were not deterred. We were firmly holding on to the teachings of PLATO, who taught us that: “No one is more hatted than he who tells the truth.”. On this note, we knew that we were hatted and that we were hatted for the right cause – SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER!
When the Dr. Elliott Wreh-Wilson’s administration brought in Mr. T. Dan Jah Bestman, a friend of Dr. Elliot Wreh-Wilson, who has just a Master’s Degree to replace Dr. Carbajosa as Vice President for Academic Affairs, we alarmed that such was unhealthy for the institution.
Here was our straightforward argument to understand. All of the six colleges of the University are headed by ” Deans.” The education requirement for being a Dean at Tubman University is a Doctorate Degree (Ph.D.). Amongst other functions, the Vice President for Academic Affairs is responsible for supervising the works of every Dean in the six Colleges. The question then was, “Can one with a Master’s Degree effectively supervise the work of a person with a Ph.D. in an academic environment?” Can this be possible? Certainly, No!
We continue to alarm for fear of a drastic decline in the quality of the education that the University could offer under this administration considering some questionable practices, including the scenario mentioned above. But, who was willing to listen to us?
After the first 6 months of the Dr. Elliott Wreh-Wilson’s administration, quality and EXCELLENCE vanished from the University. Our institution began surviving on past glory up to 2019. In this process, we continued to alarm that the institution was surviving on past glory. Nobody gave us a listening ear! Nobody cares!
Today, I’m here to alarm again. The University is no longer surviving on past glory. It’s now clear that QUALITY AND EXCELLENCE have become values of the past at Tubman University. Relevant authorities must give a listening ear to safe Tubman University. Allegations surrounding malpractices at the University must be adequately investigated, with necessary actions taken. The institution is crumbling under Dr. Elliott Wreh-Wilson as President.
Over time, Tubman University was ranked #1 among the Top Universities in Liberia. Today, our institution is not even listed among the first four top universities listed for 2020. This is sad! The institution is declining under the administration of Dr. Elliot Wreh-Wilson. If nothing is done, the story would be told in a different tune soon. Something lawful and constitutional must be done to save Tubman University.
Let this open communication claim the attention of Representative P. Mike Jurry mainly who is a product of the once prestigious Tubman University and the Maryland County Legislative Caucus entirely. We would continue to alarm and point out the facts. After all, the William V. S. Tubman University’s interest matters.
About the Author:
Thomas Wilbur Davis is Chairman Emeritus #3 of the Student Unification Alliance (SUA) at the
WILLIAM V. S. TUBMAN UNIVERSITY
