The newly inducted President of the United Methodist University (UMU), Reverend Dr. David Mulbah Tokpah, has pledged to transform the institution into a “student-first university,” while acknowledging major financial, infrastructural and administrative challenges confronting the university.
Dr. Tokpah made the commitment Wednesday, July 29, 2026, during his induction ceremony at the Stephen Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church in Sinkor, Monrovia, where he formally took office as the eighth president of the university.
Addressing faculty, staff, students, church leaders and other stakeholders, Dr. Tokpah said his administration would depart from “business as usual” and make the welfare and academic success of students the central focus of university operations.
He said every decision under his administration would be measured against its impact on students.
The new UMU president, however, inherited an institution facing significant challenges. He disclosed that salary arrears and unpaid benefits remain unresolved for many faculty and staff, while the university’s planned relocation to its future campus in Beaumont Town along the Roberts field Highway remains constrained by inadequate resources.
He also said university buildings require renovation ahead of the resumption of classes in September.
Despite the challenges, Dr. Tokpah said his administration would confront the problems with transparency, prudent financial management and shared responsibility rather than allowing them to discourage the university community.
As part of his student-first agenda, Dr. Tokpah announced six major commitments, including renovating classrooms before the start of classes, ensuring sanitation supplies are available across campuses and ending the practice of requiring students to purchase basic bathroom supplies such as soap and toilet paper.
He also pledged to establish a modern library and electronic library system, strengthen teaching aids and laboratory facilities for science students, and create a President’s Student Advisory Council within his first year in office to give students a direct voice in university decision-making.
Beyond campus facilities, Dr. Tokpah said his administration would undertake a comprehensive review of UMU’s academic programs within its first year to ensure that graduates acquire skills relevant to Liberia’s changing labor market.
He identified health sciences, information technology, agriculture and business administration as areas that would receive greater attention based on emerging employment opportunities.
He said the goal would be to ensure that UMU graduates leave the institution not only with academic certificates but also with practical skills, entrepreneurial capacity and the ability to compete in the labor market.
The new president also promised reforms in the university’s financial management system, saying stronger internal controls would be introduced to close gaps that have contributed to mistrust within the institution.
He further pledged to diversify UMU’s sources of revenue and strengthen partnerships with alumni, government, businesses, the Liberia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and other stakeholders.
Another immediate priority, according to Dr. Tokpah, is the longstanding delay in the issuance of student transcripts. He said some graduates have waited months and, in some cases, up to a year to obtain transcripts needed for employment or further education.
He committed to establishing a dedicated mechanism within 30 days to process transcript requests more efficiently and said the university would publish timelines so applicants could know when to expect their documents. Those who have waited the longest, he added, would receive priority.
Dr. Tokpah’s assumption of office comes after a period of uncertainty at the university following the death of former President Reverend Dr. Emmanuel F. Bailey. He paid tribute to Dr. Bailey and previous presidents, crediting their sacrifices with helping build the institution and preserve it through Liberia’s civil war, economic difficulties, the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises.
“I cannot be Dr. Emmanuel F. Bailey, and I am not going to try to be like him,” Dr. Tokpah said, while emphasizing that he shared the late president’s commitment to quality education, discipline, order and the welfare of faculty and staff.
Dr. Tokpah’s rise to the presidency also marks a historic moment in his relationship with the institution. A graduate and former student leader of UMU, he described his appointment as a testament to the opportunities created by the university.
Born in Division 13 of the Firestone Plantations Company in Margibi County to a rubber tapper and a farmer, Dr. Tokpah later pursued higher education in Liberia and the United States. He earned a Master of Divinity from Drew University and a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Before becoming president, he served UMU as Dean of Admissions and later as Vice President for Admissions, Recruitment, Registration and Records. His university profile credits his leadership with helping increase student enrollment by 25 percent after years of decline.
At the induction ceremony, United Methodist Bishop Samuel J. Quire, Jr., who chairs the UMU Board of Directors, urged Dr. Tokpah to lead with both firmness and compassion.
Bishop Quire also cautioned the new president against making major decisions in isolation, stressing the importance of consulting the university’s Board of Directors.
With the new administration facing financial pressures, infrastructure needs, employee concerns and demands for improved student services, Dr. Tokpah now begins his presidency under intense expectations to translate his reform agenda into measurable results.
He told the university community that the future of UMU would not be determined by one speech or one president, but by the collective actions of its administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni and partners.
The new president called on the university community to embrace excellence, integrity, service and faith as the institution begins what he described as a new chapter in its history.
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