By By Staff Writer
Monrovia, Liberia – The University of Liberia is heading into a fresh confrontation as the administration orders all faculty and staff back to campus next week, while the University of Liberia Faculty and Staff Association, ULFASA, has declared a boycott and closed offices.
In a memorandum dated Friday, August 14, 2026, UL President Dr. Layli Maparyan and Board of Trustees Chair Senator Numene T. H. Bartekwa directed all faculty and staff to report on-site on Monday, August 17, 2026 at 8:00 AM.
The memo stated that attendance is mandatory, all administrative offices will resume full operations, and academic departments must begin immediate preparations for the orderly resumption of classes on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
“Disruption, unauthorized absence, and non-compliance will be addressed in accordance with institutional policy,” the memo warned, adding that the Board and Administration “remain fully aligned in upholding our academic calendar and maintaining professional standards.”
Hours later, ULFASA issued a fiery press statement categorically rejecting the directive. The Association described the order as “dictatorial slave mentality” and “the lowest in the history of leadership at the University of Liberia.”
ULFASA leadership urged all members to “remain calm, stay at home and trust the leadership,” and activated task forces across all campuses to ensure that offices, including the Capitol Hill-based Cassell Building, remain closed as of Monday.
The Association further declared Dr. Maparyan, the Acting Vice President for Finance and Fiscal Affairs, Senator Bartekwa, and the Associate Vice President for Human Resources _persona non grata_ on all UL campuses, calling them “dangerous to the existence of the University of Liberia.”
“All Faculty and Staff are urged to ignore the latest Memorandum and are reminded to remain disengaged from all Academic and Staff Activities until the wishes of the General Assembly are fully fulfilled,” the statement signed by ULFA Secretary General Eric T. S. Patten and ULSA Secretary General E. Martin Weah, II concluded.
With classes slated to resume August 25, the clash sets up a tense start to the semester. Students, parents, and observers will now be watching to see whether the administration can enforce its return-to-work order, or if ULFASA’s shutdown call will hold the campuses closed.
