Capitol Hill Campus, University of Liberia, April 30, 2025 | The Administration of the University of Liberia (UL) has dismissed eight employees and suspended one, with immediate effect, after a thorough probe found they participated in the commission of academic fraud and misconduct.

Announcing the decision on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, UL President Prof. Dr. Layli Maparyan warned that on her watch, the University of Liberia will be restored to academic integrity and academic excellence, and its educational mission will be freed from the shackles of academic misconduct and corrupt academic practices.

Those dismissed are Mr. Arthur B. Sharpe, Chairman, Public Administration Department; Mr. Thurston Lewis, Instructor & Clearing Officer, Department of Public Administration; Mr. Goffa K. Suah, Coordinator & Teaching Assistant, Dean’s Representative on the Clearing Team, Public Administration Department; and Mr. W. Remsee Deranamie, Deputy Registrar, Office of Enrollment Services (OES).

Other dismissed employees are Mr. Lawrence Seitua, Assistant Dean of Admission, OES; Mr. Shadrach K. H. Pah, Assistant Dean of Records & Registration, OES; Mr. Foday Jaleiba, Office Assistant to the Dean of Records, OES; and Mr. Jonathan Kangar, Support Specialist, Office of Information Technology (OIT).

Additionally, the University has suspended Mr. Aaron B. Sengbe II, Associate Vice President & Registrar, OES.

Meanwhile, the University has reinstated Ms. Mercy Koquoi, OES Data Entry Clerk, Business College, and Mr. Augustine Z. Garpi, OES Coordinator, Business College.

The decision comes after a four-month investigation of facts related to several instances of alleged academic fraud and misconduct at the University of Liberia, including the case that has been referred to as the “Dorr Cooper Incident,” as well as other cases.

“Today, I received the final report of the Special Committee to Investigate Academic Fraud at the University of Liberia,” Dr. Maparyan said on Tuesday.

“The report concludes definitively that coordinated acts of academic fraud did occur. These acts involved several UL employees from multiple units of the University, including the Department of Public Administration (PADM), the Office of Enrollment Services (OES), and the Office of Information Technology (OIT),” she added.

The UL President stated that, based on the report, eight employees are terminated from their jobs at the University of Liberia, effective immediately; one employee will be suspended until the end of 2025; and two employees will return to work because no conclusive evidence of their involvement was uncovered.

“Let me be clear: Academic fraud is the antithesis of academic integrity and the enemy of academic excellence. Academic fraud undermines the university’s educational mission and destroys the university’s academic reputation,” Dr. Maparyan warned.

By addressing academic fraud and misconduct head-on and unflinchingly, Dr. Maparyan said the University is in a position to elevate its academic standards and reputation and create the excellent, effective, and ethical educational institution that Liberia’s students, faculty, and staff deserve.

Dr. Maparyan indicated that people who commit academic fraud or engage in academic misconduct at the University of Liberia will be held accountable, and impunity will not be an option.

To deter further academic fraud at the University, Dr. Maparyan has announced the establishment of the Committee to Investigate Academic Fraud (CIAF) to become a standing committee.

The UL President also disclosed that a UL Whistle-blower Platform (ULWP) will be established for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and others to anonymously or confidentially report suspected incidences of academic fraud.

Dr. Maparyan also stated that the Office of Enrollment Services (OES) will be completely overhauled, and employee and student policies related to academic fraud will be strengthened, with concomitant stakeholder awareness programming.