Today, on Joseph Jenkins Roberts’ Birthday, the University of Liberia celebrates the contributions of this great leader to building the nation. As the first President of the Republic of Liberia, Joseph Jenkins Roberts saw fit to immediately establish Liberia’s first institution of higher learning – Liberia College – thus contributing to the preparation of Liberia’s future leaders and great intellects. A man who was born in America but dedicated his life to Liberia, Joseph Jenkins Roberts demonstrated that people of African descent in the Americas have never forgotten their homeland or their heritage, and are prepared to link arms with their brothers and sisters on the Continent for the advancement of our collective wellbeing. On this day, the University of Liberia is proud to remember that higher education is woven into the very fabric of the Republic, and, as the nation’s flagship university, we carry that tradition forward into Liberia’s promising future.