Reschedule fund raising

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has requested the rescheduling of a “fund-raising event” in support of the construction of a “students’ service building” in her honor at the William V.S. Tubman University in Harper City, Maryland County.

“We’re going to do this again. We not going to let tonight be the event that determines the support for this important building. Tonight happened to have been a bad night for all the reasons I’ve cited. We’re going to do this again and we going to do it under the auspices and support of the Maryland County Legislative Caucus,” she told the gathering.

President Sirleaf, as Visitor to the institution and in who’s honor the “students’ service building” at the university is being constructed, made the request when she served as “chief launcher” at the fund raising ceremony at the Monrovia City Hall on Friday evening, November 27, 2015, an Executive Mansion release said.

President Sirleaf said her decision to call for a re-launch of the fund raising initiative stemmed from the low turnout of citizens of Maryland County and ordinary Liberians whom, according to her, though do not hail from Maryland County, but have their children attending the Tubman University in pursuit of quality education; a university that has been categorized as one of the premier universities in the country.

The Liberian Chief Executive, who personally apologized to the organizers of the fund raiser, led by the University’s president, Dr. Elizabeth Davies Russell, for the absence of several members of her Cabinet and senior officials of the Executive Branch of Government, said the absence of these people was due to their engagements at different levels in the interest of Liberia.

She said some members of her Cabinet, who were supposed to be at the dinner to support the rally, were on an assignment led by Vice President Joseph Boakai, heading for London, United Kingdom to hold bilateral and multilateral discussions with some of Liberia’s partners in soliciting funds to address different priority needs of the country.

President Sirleaf, in spite of the low turnout, made a personal but significant contribution in the tone of US$25,000 and committed her government to supporting the Tubman University in achieving its objective in providing quality and affordable tertiary education to all.

For her part, the president of Tubman University, Dr. Elizabeth David-Russell, said the building once completed will host students’ activities including offices for the student government, recreation center, conference room, internet cafe, event hall and bathrooms for both male and female amongst others.

She used the occasion to thank President Sirleaf for suspending her very busy schedule to form part of the program.
Also in attendance was the chairman of the Maryland County Legislative Caucus, Representative Bhofal Chambers, who applauded the efforts of the University in the advancement of education and made a cash donation of US$1,000 on behalf of his colleagues. -Press release