Africa-Press – Liberia. Dorr Cooper, the man indicted by the University of Liberia’s administration for academic fraud, has broken his silence since being disqualified and rejected from participating in the 2024 commencement convocation.
At long last, former Commerce Inspector General, D. Dorr Cooper, linked to academic fraud, has broken the silence over the University of Liberia’s revocation of his Bachelor of Public Administration Degree for alleged academic fraud and grade purchase. Mr. Cooper has admitted that he entered the University of Liberia without writing an entrance examination on a Special Program organized by former UL President, Dr. Ophelia Weeks.
Late last year, the University of Liberia declared Mr. Cooper persona non grata, barring him from attending the institution after an internal investigation found him guilty of academic fraud. The University, in a report, said Mr. Cooper falsely claimed to be both a student and a graduate of UL. Still, the investigation found that he was never enrolled at the University.
“The investigation, conducted by a special Committee, found that Cooper allegedly paid US$10,000 to university staff to obtain an undergraduate degree in public Administration fraudulently. Mr. Cooper further impersonated a deceased to secure an academic credential. Based upon that, the committee hereby revokes his degree.’ The report revealed.
But, responding to the Committee’s decision on Monday, October 13, 2025, on a live talk show in Monrovia, Mr. Cooper said that he was never invited by any committee set up by the University of Liberia to investigate his existence. However, he believes that since he entered the University without writing the official entrance examination, it may have contributed to the action by the University and the perceived public perception.
Providing a brief background on his entrance into the University of Liberia, the former Commerce Inspector narrated that there was a student transfer program from the Nimba County Community College, where he completed an Associate Degree program in readiness for the University of Liberia, and he took advantage.
He added that during his visit to the UL Campus in Monrovia, he interacted with university professors who informed him about the program initiated by former UL President Dr. Ophelia Weeks. This program focuses on local government public servants who are determined to pursue higher education.
Although he didn’t directly mention the names of the professors who guaranteed his entrance into the University through the UL President’s Special program, he stated that they assured him of his matriculation, given his eagerness for higher education. However, when he returned to Nimba after a few days, he was informed that the process was complete, without requiring him to write an entrance exam. This is how he completed the remaining steps and enrolled in the UL.
“So, in 2016, I left Nimba and came to Monrovia to complete the process. When discussing the University, people claim that the man, who was the Inspector General, bought a degree from UL. They even accused me of taking a dead person’s Identification number. It sounds so funny to me.
How do I take a dead man’s identification number? So, do I go around and just take the dead man’s identification number? If I have taken a dead man’s identification number, who had already graduated from the UL, how will I come and sit for BPA as freshman student? It doesn’t work that way”, he stated.
According to him, the Admission Department at the University of Liberia showed him all of the requirements. He went through it for admission into the University, but he didn’t take entrance to enroll in the University of Liberia; therefore, he believes maybe that could be where the problem came from, regarding the perceived academic fraudster.
The Enrollment and Admission Department enrolled me into the University without me taking the entrance exam, but they admitted me into the school. And that has been from 2016. They said that because the former President, Dr. Ophelia Weeks, had a program for people like us, I didn’t take the entrance. Almost all the teachers there know me; I have been sitting in classroom. Not all semesters I attended were completed because I usually dropped and then readmitted. If I were active, I would have been out for a long time. I have all my documents, and I will show it. The regalia that were served to me, I didn’t buy them; the University gave them to me after fulfilling all of the requirements for graduation. I have my clearance. I’m even in the University of Liberia 104 prospective graduates chartroom, as you can see.” Mr. Cooper clarified.
He further indicated that the night before graduation, he received a call from a friend informing him that he would not graduate, despite having fulfilled all the requirements. He stated that this came as a complete surprise to him.
“The University’s argument was how a prominent person like me could be graduating and nobody, especially the public, knew about it? In fact, nobody talked to me. They constituted a committee that investigated this matter. But, disappointingly, the committee didn’t even contact or invite me for an investigation to hear from me and give due process. Now, in my case, they are not calling for due process; they only want judgment to be passed. Most of them prejudiced the case far before the hearing. Up to now, I have never faced any investigation. I was left waiting until I started hearing all that nonsense about me buying grades and others. Even ask people at Commerce, they will tell you that I used to go to school. He lamented.
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