MONROVIA – The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia, Emmanuel Urey Yakparwolo, has called on the Government of Liberia to increase the budget of the University of Liberia (UL) to at least US$100 million, arguing that the country cannot expect a world-class institution while systematically underfunding its flagship public university.
Speaking at an event themed, “From Militancy to Mentorship: The Faculty Association as a Vehicle of Change, Critical Thinking, and Research at the University of Liberia,” Yakparwolo said the nation’s transformation depends heavily on converting UL into a hub of research, innovation, and disciplined democratic culture. “The question is no longer whether UL will survive,” he declared. “The question is whether it will rise as a university of research, critical thinking, innovation, faculty mentorship, scholarship, and nation building.”
Yakparwolo described the University of Liberia as “a national inheritance and moral trust,” emphasizing that the institution must evolve beyond being a center of protest to become a driver of national problem-solving through evidence-based research and intellectual leadership. According to him, the University of Liberia Faculty Association must expand its role beyond negotiating salaries and benefits to becoming a transformational force that protects academic standards, promotes scholarship, and mentors student leadership. “Faculty welfare matters,” he said. “But welfare is only one side of the mission. The other side is transformation.”
The EPA Executive Director warned against what he termed a culture of destructive militancy on campuses, noting that while protest has a legitimate place in democracy, activism must be guided by reason, evidence, and ethical leadership. “A university must not kill activism; it must educate activism,” he stated. “The best protest is a well-researched position paper, and the best revolution is a generation trained to think.” Drawing from his experience at the EPA, Yakparwolo said institutional transformation is possible when leadership prioritizes accountability, teamwork, professionalism, and shared national purpose.
He said that under his leadership, the agency has decentralized operations to all 15 counties, strengthened environmental enforcement, improved staff morale, and expanded scientific and academic partnerships with universities across Liberia.
Among the initiatives highlighted were the establishment of climate change laboratories at UL and other higher learning institutions, support for undergraduate and graduate environmental science programs, and the acquisition of a state-of-the-art Elemental Analyzer through the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Yakparwolo said the EPA is also helping train UL students in chemistry and environmental science to support national problem-solving, including investigations into alleged oil discoveries and environmental hazards. “These are marks of transformation,” he said. “Moving from complaint to competence, from division to delivery, and from institutional weakness to national problem-solving.” He further urged faculty members to see themselves as “nation builders, guardians of knowledge, producers of evidence, and custodians of discipline.”
Referencing the reform agenda of UL President Layli Maparyan, Yakparwolo said no strategic vision for the university can succeed without faculty ownership and participation. He proposed what he called a “Faculty-Led Critical Thinking and Research Transformation Agenda,” which includes:
· Mentorship programs for student leaders
· Research-based advocacy
· Annual research conferences
· Classroom discipline reforms
· Stronger partnerships between UL and national institutions
According to him, Liberia’s major challenges — including climate change, illegal mining, flooding, youth unemployment, food insecurity, and public health risks — should become research priorities for the university.
“Every national problem is a research question waiting for the University of Liberia to answer,” he asserted.
Yakparwolo concluded by urging students to embrace scholarship over confrontation and evidence over emotion. “Your anger may attract attention,” he told students, “but your evidence will command respect.”
Calling for greater national investment in higher education, Yakparwolo compared UL’s limited funding with major international public universities and stressed that Liberia must begin treating higher education as a strategic national priority.
“No nation can demand a world-class university while funding it like an afterthought,” he said.
