By: Kabina Kaba
PAYNESVILLE – The University of Liberia (UL) held a one-day Ph.D. Retreat on Thursday, August 7, 2025, at the Liberia Learning Center in Paynesville, Montserrado County. The event, organized by UL President Prof. Dr. Layli Maparyan, was open to all terminal degree-holders at the university.
The retreat focused on key topics including building a Ph.D. and terminal degree-centric institution, leveraging advanced degree leadership to promote academic excellence, and retooling UL’s professional development strategies—such as the study leave program.
The study leave initiative is designed to support master’s-level faculty in pursuing Ph.D.s and other terminal degrees, thereby strengthening UL’s curriculum and fostering a culture of research, innovation, and creativity.
As part of her address, Dr. Maparyan emphasized the importance of achieving gender balance and disability inclusion across both faculty and curriculum. She also highlighted the university’s need to align with upcoming government budgetary directives.
“We will also engage in an exercise to explore and rank faculty priorities for action, in an effort to inform strategic planning and fundraising,” she explained. “So you can see why this retreat had to be all day.”
Dr. Maparyan reminded faculty that Ph.D.s and other terminal degrees represent the highest level of formal education globally. She urged them to position UL as an institution capable of offering such programs across all disciplines needed by the nation.
“We need to gradually move the university in the direction of being a Ph.D. and terminal degree-holder-centric institution—meaning that most departments should have multiple Ph.D.s,” she stated. “This is about collectively understanding a shared purpose to elevate UL’s academic standards.”
Addressing faculty welfare, Dr. Maparyan acknowledged that current conditions fall short of expectations, particularly in terms of compensation. “I care deeply about improving faculty salaries,” she said. “But that can only happen by cutting unnecessary costs or increasing fundraising efforts.”
On the issue of student protests, Dr. Maparyan called for constructive engagement. “We don’t want to infringe on their freedom of speech, but the frequent portrayal of violence in the media is harming our funding prospects. That’s something we must work together to change.”
