Brief History of William V.S. Tubman University
William V. S. Tubman University is a “new-old” institution of higher learning. It is “old” in that it is an institution of higher learning formerly known as “William V.S. Tubman College of Technology”, TC, for short.
Because of the absence of a viable higher education institution in the southeast of Liberia, several political leaders and prominent citizens advocated for the erection of a college in the region. The people of Maryland County donated the land in commemoration of the 75th birthday of President William V. S. Tubman, a son of Maryland County. Construction began under the administration of Liberia’s President William R. Tolbert, who also appointed its first president. TC began in August 1978, with an enrollment of 87 students. TC thrived in producing 50% -60% of Liberia’s technocrats in the fields of architectural, civil, electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering. Enrollment increased to 221 and the College of Technology produced a number of graduates with Associate degrees in these fields. By 1990, the National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) in Liberia accredited TC to offer a 5-year Bachelor of Science degree in the aforesaid fields in engineering. Education at TC came to an abrupt halt upon national civil conflicts, however. The campus, its infrastructural support, buildings, libraries, etc. were severely looted, damaged, and left bereft of the promising glory of producing Liberia’s technocrats. In 2006 – 2007, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the NCHE, again prodded by legislators and prominent citizens moved to action. They created an Interim Management team and funded their assessment. The team reported that a successful revival of TC was possible. MOE and NCHE funded an engineering assessment that later led to the establishment of a permanent team in 2008. The Visitor to the College, Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in 2007, appointed Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Russell as President, thereby ascribing her place in history as the first female president of the institution.
Dr. Davis-Russell immediately assessed the viability of the College within the southeast region of post-conflict Liberia. She raised the bar by envisioning an institution having five colleges to provide much needed education, services, contribution to the region, the nation of Liberia, and to the world at large. She envisioned the new William V.S. Tubman University (TU). Tubman University came into being by an Act of the Liberian Legislature, transforming the William V.S. Tubman College of Technology into the “new” William V.S. Tubman University on September 14th, 2009.
