UL President Pushes Dialogue, Reforms as Faculty-Staff Standoff Persists

Published: August 10, 2026

MONROVIA — University of Liberia President, Dr. Layli Maparyan has renewed calls for an end to the prolonged faculty and staff work stoppage, pledging dialogue and reforms to address longstanding welfare concerns while insisting that discipline, accountability and institutional order are essential to restoring stability at the nation’s flagship public university.

Maparyan’s appeal comes amid a dispute between her administration and employees that has disrupted academic and administrative activities at the university.

The crisis escalated July 17 when members of the University of Liberia Faculty Association (ULFA), and the University of Liberia Staff Association (ULSA), met in a joint General Assembly at the Fendall Campus and voted to continue disengagement from university activities.

The faculty and staff groups also passed a vote of no confidence in Maparyan and raised several concerns, including delays in National Social Security and Welfare Corp. payments, salary disparities, implementation of the university’s Human Resources Manual and other employee welfare issues.

The associations directed their members to stay away from university campuses and said the work stoppage would continue until their demands were addressed with verifiable evidence.

Against that backdrop, Maparyan, in an open statement Monday, Aug. 10, acknowledged the grievances and said her administration remains committed to creating space for dialogue while exercising what she described as legitimate institutional authority.

She said the way forward must allow stakeholders to be heard, misunderstandings clarified, relationships repaired and practical solutions jointly developed.

“My principles are simple: an unwavering commitment to the welfare of our students, an openness to dialogue with all stakeholders, and my determination to strengthen, not divide, the University community,” she said.

Maparyan argued that restoring order at the university extends beyond the institution itself because of UL’s critical role in Liberia’s national development.

She described the university as a training ground for future leaders, policymakers, innovators, educators and entrepreneurs.

“The University of Liberia is the crucible of our nation. From our campuses come the leaders, the policymakers, the innovators, the educators, and the wealth creators who must carry Liberia forward,” she said.

“But we must ask ourselves an honest, painful question: How can we lift our nation out of poverty, fragility, and corruption if we allow our nation’s premier university to remain fractured, undisciplined, and chaotic? We cannot give to Liberia what we do not manifest ourselves,” Maparyan added.

The UL president said her administration is working to address several issues at the heart of the employees’ grievances, including relaunching the Human Resources Manual, securing NASSCORP payments, addressing salary disparities and improving classroom conditions.

At the same time, she said the administration expects greater dedication, excellence and accountability from instructors, administrators, staff and students.

“When we relaunch the HR Manual, when we secure NASSCORP payments, when we address salary disparities, when we fix the classrooms, and when we demand demonstrated dedication, excellence, and accountability from every instructor, administrator, staff member, and student, we are not just running a school,” she stated.

“We are modelling the Liberia we want to see. We are returning the nation’s flagship university to its world-renowned, world-embracing, world-class stature. This is our turning point. The Board of Trustees has set our course, the UL Administration is moving aggressively to fix your legitimate grievances, and the students are waiting,” Maparyan said.

She called on ULFA, ULSA and individual employees to put students at the center of efforts to resolve the dispute and return the university to normal operations.

“Let us end this work stoppage immediately, not in defeat, but in a shared victory of mutual commitment to our students and the nation. Let us return to our classrooms in a few weeks—not to the old way of doing things, but to a new era of order, discipline, and professional excellence,” she emphasized.

“For the sake of our students, for the honor of our professions, and for the ultimate upliftment of the Republic of Liberia, let us begin this work, today,” Maparyan urged.