A letter to the Young Revolutionaries of the University of Liberia

I have heard your concerns about the newly appointed President of the University of Liberia, including the posts on Facebook, the musings in the various group chats, and the verbal conversations.

They are all justified and should be given due consideration. Notwithstanding, I’d like to offer another perspective. Indulge me, if you will.Maybe, just maybe, it is time for us to try a new approach. Maybe, our “tried and tested” techniques that obviously have not served us well need to be put to rest. Maybe you, the young revolutionaries, could take this opportunity to lead an act of resistance. Resistance to the old way of thinking. Resistance to doing the same things the same way and expecting different results.

Maybe we, Liberians, but particularly you, the younger Liberians, could admit we need a little “help” in the way of the academia. This is not to say or in any way imply that we do not have qualified and competent “sons and daughters of the soil,” but maybe, just maybe, in this instance, it would behoove us to willingly open our doors to a “stranger.”

Perhaps, it would benefit us to learn something outside of the familiar and to learn from someone unknown to us. Perhaps the institutional and historical methods, including the administrative rules and order as well as the curriculum that has “adorned” the University for years, need to be replaced.I know from first-hand experience that I receive numerous messages, calls, and letters requesting financial assistance for young people to travel to the US to pursue higher education opportunities. Guess what? One of the acclaimed purveyors of US higher education is coming to lead your State University.

Think of the opportunities this could present!Perhaps we should consider opening the “window” a little bit so that a different breeze may blow through our classrooms in 2025 and beyond; a breeze that may bring about innovation, exposure, transformation, and the “revolution” that our student leaders so desperately desire.A revolution, by its very nature, is a significant and sometimes sudden change in a system.

How do we cry out for revolution but are so resistant to change? We intensely hold on to the familiar, even when we know that it does not serve us. Young people, we are becoming a nation of inflexibility. So many young people are reluctant to adapt to new ways of thinking, refusing to broaden their vision of what could be and what should be. We have become intransigent, unyielding, and unbending in our ideology, but, unfortunately, on many of the wrong matters.

I do not mean to generalize, but by and large, this is the trend that many of you are taking. Young people, how do we define what is “Liberian”? What is acceptable? What is good? By what standard, ethos, national identity, or collective ideology are you applying to vetting and selecting a University President? Now, let’s shift the conversation slightly from us to her.

Don’t get me wrong, I have read her CV and while I am very impressed by her academic credentials, I do agree that there is a dearth of experience in administration. She has directed institutes and centers but has not held a position at this level. We have reason to be concerned. But consider this– some of the greatest revolutions started from those who did not have experience in galvanizing revolutions but had vision, passion, and the will to change the system.

I don’t know Dr. Maparyan. I have never met her. But this write-up is simply to say, if her appointment is destined to fail, as so many of you have predicted, let it not be because our students resisted change. Let it be because our students welcomed change, and this change was not the right fit for our nation. We have to start doing things differently.

Young people, this country is yours. I know change is hard. I know it is scary to expose yourself to the unknown. But I beseech you, tear off the old garments and begin to cloak yourself with fresh, innovative ways of thinking. Be courageous and bold about your future. History is for us, the old people, let us hold on to it; the future is yours. Prepare for it.Perhaps this is the beginning of the radical change that you so passionately espouse.Cllr. Charlyne M. Brumskine

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