Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) Managing Director Mohammed Ali has urged graduates of Grand Gedeh University (GGU) to measure success by the problems they solve rather than the positions they attain, warning that titles without service can breed arrogance and undermine leadership.
Delivering the keynote address at the university's eighth convocation, where 57 students graduated, Ali cautioned the graduates against what he described as the "disease of the front row"--the tendency to become detached from ordinary people after attaining positions of influence.
"I am worried about what might happen to some of them after they become those things," he said, referring to graduates who may later become ministers, legislators and managing directors.
"A title should expand your responsibility, not inflate your ego. The higher you rise, the greater your obligation to deliver results," Ali added.
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He illustrated the difference between status and usefulness with the example of an electrician who steps forward to repair a generator during a power outage.
"That is the difference between status and usefulness. Status tells people who you are. Usefulness demonstrates why your presence matters," he said.
Ali challenged the graduates to use their education to address Liberia's development problems rather than simply improve their personal circumstances.
"A university degree should not merely improve your chances of escaping difficult circumstances. It should increase your capacity to change those circumstances," he said.
He also urged the graduates to recognize the sacrifices of their parents and guardians, encouraging them to remain humble and support those who helped them succeed.
"The true measure of success is not how far you rise above the people who raised you. It is whether you still have the humility to reach back and lift them," he said.
Beyond his message on leadership and service, Ali announced that LWSC engineers would visit the GGU campus the following week to assess its water needs.
"By next week we will send our engineers to conduct an assessment," he said.
He explained that the corporation would subsequently engage the county administration, legislative caucus, university leadership and relevant authorities on establishing a water system for the campus. He linked the commitment to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai's emphasis on water and sanitation in his State of the Nation Address.
No budget or completion timeline was announced for the proposed project.
Ali also urged graduates entering different professions to uphold their responsibilities, telling accountants to protect resources, teachers to help students learn, engineers to build and maintain infrastructure, and entrepreneurs to create jobs. He stressed that public office should be treated as a responsibility rather than a privilege.
Meanwhile, GGU President Eric Z. M. Gbotoe outlined the institution's achievements and continuing challenges in his state-of-the-institution address.
Gbotoe said the university had restored satellite internet following a trial period and renovated its administrative building and classrooms. However, he noted that enrollment remained below 300 students and that the institution continued to face inadequate funding, unreliable electricity, water shortages and a shortage of qualified instructors.
The university's nursing program has also been deactivated by the relevant regulatory authority because of inadequate clinical and laboratory facilities. A 100-bed hospital funded by German support is being constructed nearby, but the program's status remains a challenge for the institution.
Gbotoe said the university relied on hand pumps for water, while its campus bus was broken and its budget remained inadequate to meet operational needs.
Despite these difficulties, he reaffirmed the institution's ambition under the slogan, "Grand Gedeh University will be second to none."
He highlighted plans to improve campus facilities, including a multipurpose student center backed by the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company and the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment. Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung was credited with championing the project. A modern school complex with athletic facilities is also being supported by a local association.
Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, according to Gbotoe, had committed to considering an allocation for the university in the amended fiscal year 2027 budget following an assessment of the campus.
The university is also expanding its public communication through a monthly newsletter, social media and its website, while planning to establish a campus radio station by next year. Two students have been named youth ambassadors.
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Gbotoe said advocacy with the National Commission on Higher Education and the Legislature had helped the institution move beyond its former community-college status.
The university has partnerships with Pennsylvania State University and Delaware State University. A memorandum of understanding with West Virginia State University, facilitated by Kuly Kimba Doe, director of International Partnership and Diaspora Engagement, is expected to enable six lecturers and students to begin master's studies there by January 2027.
A technical delegation from West Virginia State University is also expected early next year to help launch agricultural research, including work on converting local pine into renewable energy. A partnership with the University of Pretoria in South Africa has been suspended following xenophobic violence in that country.
Gbotoe further said the university planned to name its colleges after distinguished figures from the region. The College of Agriculture and Forestry has been named after the late Samuel K. Doe, while other colleges--including Business and Public Administration, Health Sciences, Education, Science and Technology, and Liberal Arts--are expected to be named in the future.
