Against the backdrop of the recent appointment of the Board of Trustees of the Grand Gedeh County University College, the new Chair, Chief Dr. William Deiyan Towah, has extended, on behalf of his colleagues, immense gratitude and appreciation to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for their preferment, which he sees as service to “our fatherland through the college”. He vowed to ensure that the institution lives up to the expectation for which it was created.
In a press statement issued in Abuja, Nigeria, where Dr. Towah is serving as an ECOWAS diplomat, the erudite scholar, referencing the letter he had written to President Boakai for the appointment, said the careful selection of prominent Liberians, including statutory representation, on the Board is a step in the right direction and will energize stakeholders to put in more efforts to make the thriving institution very robust and useful in the development needs of the county and the country.
“I assure your Excellency that coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress and through working together we can achieve the desired success. We thank Mr. President for the trust and confidence reposed in us, and promise you that the Grand Gedeh University College will experience immense educational and economic growth during our tenure,” Chief Dr. Towah said.
The dispatch further said that the Chair, who was also instrumental in the creation of the then community college, has begun holding discussions with stakeholders, including those in the diaspora, leading to structuring a plan that addresses the acute needs of the college.
Speaking further on what could be the direction of the Board under his leadership, he said there are several initiatives that will be embarked upon, and identified the appointment of a substantive president of the university as a key task that must be addressed immediately, since the leadership vacuum is creating serious impediment for the running of the institution. He said, given the current situation at the college, there is a need to fast-track the appointment of the president, who is expected to develop a strategic plan to properly reposition the institution as a fully functional university.
He said, when the new president is appointed, the Board will work with the person to leverage on the gains made over the years and redesign strategies, including recruiting qualified lecturers to teach the various disciplines as well as improving the facility to one worthy of university status. He said emphases will be placed on disciplines that matter most for the development needs of both the county and country, as well as those that have better outlets for employment and wealth creation upon the graduation of their students.
“We are looking at a robust university that will teach disciplines that are essential for the development of our county and the country as a whole, so that when the students complete their studies they can be absorbed in the labor market as well as become employers of labor. There is a growing number of college graduates roaming about without jobs, which is a serious concern; therefore the need to immediately take action to curb this situation and get our students prepared for the opportunities ahead,” Dr. Towah alluded.
“If you ask me for some of the disciplines, I will tell you straight away that we are looking at agriculture, education and the health sciences as our immediate need; therefore, a high premium will be placed on them as we will ensure that we get qualified teachers and provide the resources and facilities for this initiative to succeed,” Dr. Towah maintained.
He said the board under his leadership will work with the administration of the university, the local county leadership, the legislative caucus and other stakeholders to mobilize resources in order to augment the support from the government. “We will go all out there to get the needed resources to support the university and make it a center for academic excellence in the country,” he assured.