On the morning of Saturday, August 15, 2026, President Joseph Nyumah Boakai convened a meeting at his Paynesville residence to mediate between the disenchanted faculty and staff on one hand and the University of Liberia administration amid the ongoing standoff, but his effort seems insufficient to break the deadlock.
In her August 14 memorandum to faculty and staff, UL President Dr. Layli Maparyan issued a mandate requiring all to return to work no later than Monday, August 17, and emphasized that attendance is mandatory. Her memo noted that the Board of Trustees deems it important that normal academic and administrative work resume while solutions to the challenges confronting the university are found. The return of both faculty and staff would enable preparation for the start of next semester's activities, which are slated to begin on August 25.
But both the UL Faculty Association (ULFA) and the UL Staff Association (ULSA), now pushing their concerns under one umbrella known as the UL Faculty and Staff Association (ULFASA), have expressed their collective unwillingness to settle for anything less than their demands, which include a salary increase, renovation of the buildings housing classrooms and offices, social security benefits, and an audit of the university's financial system.
"While these negotiations continue, all faculty and staff members are requested to remain disengaged from all academic and administrative duties at the University of Liberia," ULFASA noted in its press release following the meeting with President Boakai.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
According to the release, the association's leadership remains bound by the mandate of the general assembly and will not change its decision until a meeting is convened and there is evidence of significant developments or tangible progress toward implementing its resolutions.
Assistant Professor Alahaji S. M. Dukuly is the president of ULFA and serves as the leader and spokesperson for both the faculty and the staff (ULFASA). On behalf of his colleagues and the staff, Dukuly presented President Boakai with a copy of their resolutions, calling on the Liberian leader to ensure that the UL administration, along with the Board of Trustees, takes the necessary steps to resolve the recurring problems at the university.
President Boakai's response
President Boakai, upon receiving a copy of the resolutions from the leaderships of ULFA and ULSA through ULFASA, acknowledged the concerns and immediately committed his administration to resolving the ongoing challenges to ensure there is no further disruption to the university's academic calendar.
Among the President's immediate actions is ordering the renovation of all buildings in dilapidated condition to provide faculty, staff, and students with a good learning and working environment. Renovation work has begun on the Capitol Hill campus, with Fendall and others to follow.
In addition to making funds available through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning for the renovations of the buildings, Boakai also announced the establishment of a special committee to investigate matters related to UL's financial management system, which ULFASA alleged has been compromised, especially since Dr. Lester Tenny assumed the role of Vice President for Fiscal Affairs and Finance. The disenchanted faculty and staff have since declared a vote of no confidence in Dr. Tenny. They have termed the former dean of the College of Business and Public Administration's ascension to the VPFA role as compromised.
It is worth noting that UL President Dr. Layli Maparyan, upon assuming office in January 2025, appointed Dr. Tenny to act as Vice President for Fiscal Affairs and Finance, later opening a vacancy for a qualified full-time VPFA. Dr. Tenny took advantage of this and secured the position through his application and a vetting process. For ULFA and ULSA, Tenny should not have applied because he had been acting in the same position-a violation they have yet to substantiate with evidence.
It has not been disclosed how soon the special presidential committee would investigate and make available its findings on the alleged financial crisis at the UL. The committee members are also yet to be known.
Dr. Lester Tenny's frown on faculty members working elsewhere
Dr. Lester Tenny, UL Vice President for Finance, says he is being targeted because he is cleaning up the payroll. According to Tenny, cleaning the payroll is not only about finding ghost names but also about ensuring that full-time faculty members who are employed full-time by other ministries and agencies of government, as well as concession companies, do not continue to be on the UL payroll as full-time employees.
"I will not encourage double-dipping under my leadership as VPFA. You will decide where you want to work. We have over 800 adjuncts with double master's and PhDs, but they are not added to the payroll because of faculty members who have double jobs," Tenny alleged, adding, "This will not work under my current fiscal priorities."
A faculty member's concern
A full-time faculty member who has sought anonymity in this report told The Liberian Investigator that while the concerns of fellow colleagues are legitimate, there are also conflicting realities that must be addressed if UL is to maintain its standing as Liberia's largest macrocosm of consciousness. "There are some selfish reasons why protests last longer. Some can be naive, to say the least," the faculty member said.
According to the faculty member, sometimes the leadership of ULFA seeks bribes to cut off protests. "I know Dr. Maparyan wouldn't do it, but it has happened before. Some past presidents of the university have given money to ULFA to cut off protests, and we who are not in leadership have always been used to accomplish objectives not necessarily for the sole good of the university. We all want the right things to happen so we can all benefit, but asking a president to step down is something I do not see as a just move. This president has been in office for less than two years, and if we fairly grade her, she has done well so far and can do even better if she has the needed support."
Dr. Maparyan's Response to the crisis
Dr. Maparyan has repeatedly acknowledged the concerns of the disenchanted faculty and staff members, calling them legitimate and appealing for an amicable resolution without disrupting the academic calendar. For the UL President, students are the most affected each time there is an impasse involving faculty, staff, and the administration. She sees this as unwelcome for a country that is working to develop the talents of its young people, who would ultimately take over leadership roles in both the public and private sectors.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Like anyone else fully aware of the challenges confronting the University of Liberia, including infrastructure deficits, limited research capacity and laboratories, a barely prepared workforce, and a highly troubled payroll undergoing cleaning, among others, the UL President sees opportunities amid the difficult realities and has since committed to working to solve them.
Dr. Maparyan, while not casting blame on anyone and not shirking responsibility, has since called on the workforce at UL to view finding solutions to the existing problems not as a day's work but as a gradual effort over time.
Under her leadership, buses for students and staff are said to have already been procured from India and are expected to arrive in the country soon. A solar Oasis aimed at providing a stable electricity supply and internet connectivity at the Fendall campus is nearing completion, while the university's laboratories are about to undergo complete restoration by PHYWE, a German lab equipment and development company.
According to Dr. Maparyan, concerns about salary disparity, unpaid benefits, and welfare issues, which have existed long before she took over the university, cannot be treated as less important. She urged that, for the University to realize its full potential and rise to the international standard, it ought not be in repeated conflict, standoff, or go-slow. She said work can continue while solutions to the challenges are found.
Whether or not UL resumes its academic and administrative operations as scheduled remains the prerogative of the government, the disenchanted faculty and staff, and the university administration.
