Published: January 5, 2026
As I write this, I am sitting in a rainstorm at Libassa Ecolodge, where I came to take a few days respite during the holiday season. There is something about the pounding rain that encourages reflection. We are drawing close to New Year’s Eve, and I am looking back on 2025, the first year of my presidency at UL. Although it’s not over yet and we still have a few days to go in which anything could happen, I am in that winding down and taking stock mood.
Some years ago, I came across a greeting card with a saying by Ralph Waldo Emerson that really stuck with me. I put it in a picture frame and hung it up in a place where I could read it every day. It said, “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” This short prose passage with its sage advice has kept me sane more times than I care to recount across the course of this eventful year.
For me, the year began with an answered prayer: the opportunity to serve as the 16th president of the University of Liberia. On the basis of that blessing, I woke up every morning filled with gratitude and energized to face the day. Each day presented new, different, and interesting challenges and opportunities. My north star remained constant: help UL to realize the highest and best version of itself, so that UL students, faculty, and staff could realize the highest and best versions of themselves, and Liberia could realize the highest and best version of itself. Each day offered a chance to examine whether I was keeping the through line.
Even when you are living inside a blessing, there can be highs and lows. My heart leapt with joy every time a faculty member reported a new research article published in a peer-reviewed journal. I did my mental happy dance every time one of our students won a prize, award, or title. I felt pride of accomplishment when we offered an accessible entrance exam for visually impaired prospective students for the first time. I was elated when we launched two of our new PhD programs with bona fide student orientation sessions. I was truly humbled when UNDP, the World Bank, UN Women, the EU, and other development partners extended the hand of collaboration with UL. I was profoundly moved when Government of Liberia partners stepped up to aid UL, whether MFDP, NPA, LWSC, individual members of the Legislature, or others. I was stirred by the commitment and zeal of UL’s alumni organizations, ULIBAAA and AAUL. And I was inspired by the generosity of donors like Voices of the Elders, the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia (TDEL), Massachusetts Alliance for the Restoration of the University of Liberia (MARUL), the University Consortium for Liberia (UCL), and others whose names I can’t mention until next year.
On the flip side, I was galled by the difficulty of fixing the bathrooms. I was simultaneously heartbroken and infuriated by the seemingly never-ending stream of problems faced by our faculty on study leave. My heart sank every time news reached me of yet another student protest or faculty strike. My fury flashed every time another report of academic fraud or misconduct reached me. I was frustrated by the opacity and archaism of many of our administrative systems. I felt deep empathy for all the students who just wanted to finish—or even start—their studies but were hindered by delays. I was aggrieved about the financial struggles faced by many of our staff, students, and faculty. I was deeply embarrassed by those employees and students who were accused or convicted of crimes. I also cringed every time another newspaper, radio show, or social media outlet published or posted an unverified rumor or genuine nonfact about UL. I felt genuine compunction about my inability to ensure that December salaries arrived before Christmas. And I mourned deeply the faculty, staff, students, and retirees we lost in 2025.
Ralph Waldo Emerson also said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” The year 2025 was filled with all the hills and valleys of an epic journey. Some might even call it a roller-coaster. Yet, because of our north star, we never veered too far off course. Naturally, there were lessons learned, and next year will be the better for them. As we close out this year, let us reflect on how far we have come and gear ourselves up for how far we will go. Let us all finish these days of 2025 and be done with them, because we have done what we could and tomorrow, 2026, is a new day!
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