The University of Liberia and Sharda University in Greater Noida, India, have strengthened their relationship and agreed to collaborate on numerous projects during a recent visit of a delegation from the University of Liberia. The two universities have agreed to deepen their academic partnership and engage in joint-venture private sector investments wherever feasible.

In high level meetings held on Sharda University Campus during the visit of the delegation from the University of Liberia, it was broadly agreed that the two tertiary institutions will focus on joint research and supervision, faculty sabbatical and exchange, student exchange with credit swap, co-teaching of programs, joint patent filing of valuable research outcome, quality assurance, faculty and staff development, etc.

The UL delegation led (initially) by Assoc. Prof. Weade Kobbah-Boley, Vice President for Institutional Development and Planning, had the opportunity of touring Sharda University’s Greater Noida Campus which hosts a 1,200 bed teaching hospital, the Sharda Hospital, that is considered one of the best in India. The tour included different departments and units of Sharda Hospital, the School of Dental Sciences, Sharda Medical School, the Center for Research, the School of Engineering and Technology, Sharda Law School, the School of Business, the School of Humanities, the School of Communications, Media, Film and Entertainment as well as libraries, laboratories, resource centers and other specialized programs.

Addressing the Sharda University’s Cabinet on behalf of the UL delegation, VP Boley underscored investment in Liberia, the establishment of a University of Liberia teaching hospital, and leveraging Information Technology as areas of interest in the relationship with Sharda. She spoke succinctly about the delegation’s visit as a learning and exchange mission while emphasizing the enormity of the benefits that the two institutions can potentially reap from their existing Memorandum of Understanding.

During this joint meeting held on Thursday, July 13, 2023, which cut across faculty, senior staff, and cabinet members of the two universities, the Vice Chancellor of Sharda University, Prof. Dr. Sibaram Khara, welcomed the delegation and highlighted the value of collaboration including areas he believes the partnership with the University of Liberia can be immediately impactful and mutually beneficial. Dr. Khara said working with the University of Liberia at different levels will ensure a bidirectional transfer of knowledge and capacity while helping Sharda University to properly understand situations in other parts of the world. He added that outcome-based research projects and studies jointly conducted could lead the way in finding solutions to some of the problems in society.
During the roundtable discussion that followed the key presentations by both parties, Dr. Darren Wilkins, Vice President for Information Technology at the University of Liberia outlined what is being done at UL to optimize and streamline processes. He expressed admiration for Sharda University’s paperless system and general extensive deployment and utilization of technology. Dr. Wilkins said that the University of Liberia would be pleased to tap on Sharda’s excess capacity in technology and appealed for support in establishing a ‘Center of Excellence’ for innovation and technology in Liberia. 

In the field of health,  Dr. Bernice Dahn, Vice President for Health Sciences, provided a verbal portrait of the state of affairs at the College of Health Sciences and further elaborated on the mutual significance of a teaching hospital  at the University of Liberia. She proposed a visit of a team from Sharda University Medical School and Sharda Hospital to Liberia for an independent assessment and to work with the UL’s current teaching hospital— the John F. Kennedy Medical Center— while work continues on the building of a teaching hospital in Liberia.
Dr. Jonathan C. Taylor, Vice President for Graduate Studies, revealed during the discussion that curricula have been developed for three resident PhD/doctoral programs (Public Health, Education and International Affairs) at the University of Liberia and looked forward to working with his counterparts at Sharda for support, feedback and joint supervision. 

In a separate meeting on Friday, July 14, 2023, the President of the University of Liberia, Prof. Dr. Julius J.S. Nelson, Jr.; the President of Sharda University, Dr. Ashok Daryani, and the Chancellor of Sharda University, Mr. Pradeep Kumar Gupta, discussed the specifics of the MoU and the practical next steps. At the end of their meeting it was agreed that a ‘School of Dentistry’ will be immediately established at the University of Liberia, that a team from Sharda University will visit the University of Liberia in August for assessment, Sharda and UL will conclude arrangements for the offering of doctoral degrees at the University of Liberia and that the two universities, in collaboration with the Sharda Group of Institutions (SGI), remain committed to establishing of a teaching hospital on the University of Liberia’s Fendell Campus that could serve as the medical referral hub for the subregion.

Dr. Nelson informed the President and the Chancellor of Sharda University in their closed meeting that the University of Liberia is also keen on restructuring its financing portfolio by engaging in different types of investments through public-private partnerships. He said the University of Liberia’s investment arm, the Lux Investment Corporation, represented in the meeting by its Manager Atty. Cletus A. Sieh, craves a partnership with Sharda Group for private investments in Liberia. Expanding Dr. Nelson’s point on investment, Vice President Boley informed Mr. Gupta that the UL has a plan of transforming its 5,800 acres of land on Fendell Campus into a green, tech-driven ‘University City’ which is a significantly profitable investment opportunity. The head of Institutional Development and Planning added that Liberia is a green forested country with a climate suitable for agricultural activities and also has a lot of potential in the extractive sector. In response, Mr. Gupta, who is also the Chairman of Sharda Group, said he was happy with the relationship Sharda University has forged with the University of Liberia. The Chancellor added that Sharda’s partnership with UL is important not just because of the international outlook of the group, the university and its hospital but mainly because…”Africa is the future.” Mr. Gupta was very unequivocal in stating that Sharda University, based on the success and exploits of its teaching unit, the Sharda Hospital, has strength and residual capacity in the medical field which would be one of the main areas of collaboration. Excited by the prospects being discussed and surprised to learn that Liberia has only three professional dentists, the Chairman of Sharda Group gave a verbal approval for the ‘immediate’ establishment of a dental school at the University of Liberia.

Founded in 2009 by the Sharda Group of Institutions (SGI), Sharda University is a private tertiary institution near Delhi in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India, with an enrollment of approximately 15, 000 students from more than 95 countries. It has more than 130 programs from undergraduate to postgraduate level, and a faculty of a little over 900 with a staggering 55% PhDs.

The University of Liberia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sharda University in October, 2022, as part of ongoing efforts to optimize the system and enhance the quality of service at the state-run university. Following the signing of the MoU by UL’s President Prof. Dr. Julius J.S. Nelson, Jr., in Monrovia and Sharda University’s President Dr. Ashok Daryani in Greater Noida, the Assistant Manager for International Relations, Mr. Sachin Saini, visited the University of Liberia in the early part of 2023 which culminated into the visit of this UL delegation to Sharda University.

From July 10 to 16, 2023, a 17-member delegation, representing different units of the University of Liberia, visited and toured the campus and facilities of Sharda University with the objectives of exchanging knowledge, gaining experience and working-out the specific “practical” areas of interest for both institutions in the short-to-medium term based on the 2022 MoU. The UL delegation included Prof. Dr. Julius J.S. Nelson, Jr., President; Assoc. Prof. Weade Kobbah-Boley, Vice President for Institutional Development and Planning; Dr. Jonathan C. Taylor, Vice President for Graduate Studies; Dr. Bernice T. Dahn, Vice President for College of Health Sciences; Dr. Darren D. Wilkins, Vice President for Information Technology; Mr. Isaac H. Garnett, Vice President for Finance and Fiscal Affairs; Dr. Josephus M. Gray, Dean, Amos C. Sawyer College  of Social Sciences and Humanities; Dr. Cecelia Cassell, Dean, William V.S. Tubman College of Education; Mr. David B. Kwiyarhe, Jr., Chairman, Department of Management; Dr. Lawrence M. Sherman, Dean, A.M. Dogliotti School of Medicine; Atty. Cletus A. Sieh, Manager, Lux Investment Corporation; Mr. Roosevelt G. Tule, Instructor, Department of Political Science; Mr. Ignatius D. Kunmeh, Associate Vice President for Administration; Ms. Dekontee A. Tubman, Director, Department of Protocol; Mr. Lawrence F. Seitua, President, University of Liberia Staff Association; Dr. S. Morris Cooper, Vice President, University of Liberia Faculty Association (ULFA); and Thomas Karyah, Director of University Relations. As part of the visit, each member of the delegation was given an opportunity to meet with a counterpart from Sharda University for closer interaction and more  practical engagement.

A delegation from Sharda University is expected to visit the University of Liberia in August 2023 for needs assessment and to commence immediate work on the establishment of a Sharda School of Dentistry at the University of Liberia.