Africa-Press – Liberia. Dr. William R. Tolbert, Jr, Liberia’s 20th President, may be deceased, but his legacy and memory live on through the church that he served, as well as many other organizations and programs named or established in his honor.
The latest was the launch of the William R. Tolbert Baptist University (WRTBU), under the auspices of the Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention (LBMEC). By this endeavor, the Baptist Church in Liberia aims to augment its contribution to the education sector, through the development and improvement of manpower for nation-building.
On Sunday 13th February 2022, several branches, as well as the central office of the Baptist denomination, gathered in Paynesville to grace the auspicious occasion. Raising the profile of the event, guests from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, the United States of America and other parts of the world were present.
Vice President of Liberia, Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor, who is also a Deaconess in the church, was represented by a proxy, Deacon Johns Smart, who assured the Church of the VP’s wholesome support towards the erection of the university as well as assisting in Trusteeship to get it running.
Also, Rev. Dr. Israel Akanji, President of Nigeria Baptist Convention, encouraged the Baptist Church in Liberia to continue on its good footing, noting that success is certain.
“In 1914 the Convention began. For 64 years, there was a Baptist Church in Nigeria but there was no Convention. For over twenty years now, we have been running our university in Nigeria. Even though there are many universities in Nigeria, our university has come to be very special,” he said.
According to him, the Baptist Church in Nigeria did not combine its Theological Seminary with the University, but rather left it to run independently as a religious education institution.
“Because it has been possible for us in Nigeria, we believe that by the grace of God it is possible in Liberia,” he said, adding, “The name William Tolbert, to us in Nigeria, is very big. It is associated with leadership, the Baptist Church and respect for education, as well as a contribution towards it.” He assured the Liberia Baptist community of their Nigerian counterparts’ fullest support as they endeavor to build the new university in Liberia.
Delivering the statement of purpose, Rev. Dr. Samuel B. Reeves, Jr, President of the LBMEC, said: “Recognizing the need as the founders of the nation and the inspiration from a concept for this university, Dr. William R. Tolbert’s love for religion and education as the bedrock for the development of the country, our university will provide the practical relevant training grounded in preparing the future leaders of Liberia in the 21st Century and beyond.
“While there are several equally qualified religious universities in Liberia offering Bachelor’s degrees and others,” he added, “let it be known here today that the WRTBU intends to fill the gap of providing very practical, technical, and modern skills for the new Liberia from the Baptist perspective.”
Reeves said the Baptist Church, having been the cornerstone of Liberia due to the signing of the declaration of independence in its edifice in 1847, the Church has a special obligation and commitment to reshape and redefine the destiny of the Liberia envisaged since the founding of the country in 1821 when free people of color were repatriated to Africa by way of Providence Island, in Monrovia.
He boasted that apart from the Church’s contribution to national heritage and leadership in the country, it has a Theological Seminary that has been in existence since 1976, whose establishment was spearheaded by the late President Tolbert.
“The Seminary, which currently has 127 students, awards a BA degree in Theology and Religious Education after four years of attendance and has matriculated over 1,000 students since its inception in the country,” he informed his audience. He assured that, as in the case of Nigeria, the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary (LBTS) will remain independent of the Tolbert University.
Rev. Reeves emphasized that the primary aim of WRTBU will be to promote and provide a practical hands-on state of the art training ground for Liberians at home and those who will come from abroad at any time to seek learning in areas critical to the development of a developing nation like Liberia in today’s modern world.
“In this regard, special emphasis will be placed on areas such as Agriculture, Geology, Engineering, Education, Science and Technology, Health, Information Technology, Business Administration, Public Policy, and Administration with Baptist principles at the core,” he noted.
He said further that strong belief in Baptist Christian ethics, academic excellence, moral uprightness, creativity, academics, hard work, leadership building, moral values, and the preparation of students in special areas of growth and the development of the underdeveloped nation will be cardinal pillars of the new university.
“Entrepreneurship, Economics, Leadership Development, Environmental Science and Resource Management will also form part of the key development programs and this university will also seek to train and prepare students for public service with an emphasis in helping the poor, as well as respect for basic human values,” the Baptist Prelate assured.
Reeves said the WRTBU will partner with like-minded universities and colleges in Africa and other parts of the world to achieve its goals in delivering quality and spiritually nurtured education.
“To this end, BU will seek and hire academic talents from Liberia and all over the world and offer a core-curriculum of four-year Bachelor’s degree programs. It is expected that the first seven hundred students will be enrolled in late 2022 or early 2023 and, going forward, we look forward to over two thousand students enrolling in 2024,” Pastor Reeves registered.
He expressed hope that WRTBU may offer distance learning programs through the internet to students from far away, while exchange programs with other universities operating on the same or similar principles will also be initiated and implemented.
Reeves put the budget of the construction and renovation processes of the university at US$3 million and may rise to US$4 million as more modern facilities are considered. He named the Ricks Institute campus in Virginia, Montserrado County, to be the main campus of the university while its Agriculture and Technical programs will be in Kwendi, Nimba County.
In response on behalf of the Tolbert Family, Rev. Dr. Richard V. Tolbert thanked the Baptist Convention in Liberia for the educational initiative and assured the Church of the family’s gratitude and support.
“My late cousin Richard Tolbert, III should have been the one speaking on behalf of the family here today, but met his untimely death through murder recently. Although we grieve now, we the Tolbert family thank the Liberia Baptist Church for this great initiative to honor my late uncle Dr. Tolbert, who was grounded in the religion and education of his people,” Tolbert said.
Tolbert recalled that in 1977, his uncle, President William R. Tolbert, Jr. called his Cabinet to a meeting and informed them that Liberia was at war not with people but with ignorance, disease, and poverty and, as such, all of them should tighten their belts to rescue the nation.
He said his uncle placed premium consideration on education and he never faltered in providing the necessary support of means for the education system to flourish.
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