African Methodist Episcopal University

The African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU) is a private institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, in the West African nation of Liberia. Located on Camp Johnson Road, the school is the second largest college in Liberia with over 5,000 students.[1] The school was established in 1995 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and chartered by the Liberian Legislature in 1996.

African Methodist Episcopal University
School seal
TypePrivate
Established1995 (1995)
Religious affiliation
African Methodist Episcopal Church
PresidentRev. Alvin E. Attah, Sr. (interim)
Students5,051 (2018)
Undergraduates4,797
Postgraduates254
Location
Monrovia
,
Liberia

6°18′38″N 10°48′04″W
Websitewww.ame.edu.lr

History

AMEU was organized in 1995 by Bishop Cornal Garnett Henning, Sr. and leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, during his administration as presiding prelate. Bryant Theological Seminary was the first component school of the university.[2] Bryant Theological Seminary had been started in 1992 by David R. Daniels, Jr., now a bishop in the church.[2] The university was then chartered in February 1996.[2]

In 2003, Louise C. York served as president of the university, and accounting was the most popular major at the Christian school.[3] During the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003, the school's campus was attacked and ransacked.[3] As the commencement ceremony proceeded that year, the 185 graduates could hear mortar shells exploding in the background as rebel forces attempted to take the capital.[3] After the civil strife ended, the country's National Commission on Higher Education approved the university to operate on a temporary basis in November 2005, and in February 2006 the school received full approval.[4]

A scam by students at the school in February 2006 cost the university US$100,000 (~$131,231 in 2021) in lost funds,[5] which resulted in the arrest of four people the next month.[6] Also in February 2006, USAID paid for some reconstruction on the campus.[7] Levi Zangar resigned as president of the school in November 2006 citing problems with the school's board of directors.[8] In April 2007, students protested against the university's administration for requiring students to pay 80% of tuition for the new semester prior to classes beginning.[9]

The school held its eighth commencement in November 2007 at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the convocation speaker.[10] The school graduated over 400 students at that time.[10] In February 2011, students at AMEU protested an increase in tuition, poor pay for their instructors, and for providing a poor education.[11] The school had raised the cost per course to US$11 from $8.[11] As of 2018, the school had 5,051 students enrolled, with 254 of those being graduate students.[1] The total enrollment placed the school as the second biggest in the country, behind only the University of Liberia.[12] On March 31, 2020, a new interim president, Rev. Alvin E. Attah, Sr., was named by the Board of Trustees of the University.[13]

References
  1. "Brief History of AME University". AME University. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  2. "Our Bishop". Our Church. 14th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  3. Sengupta, Somini (4 July 2003). "Graduates Hope They, and Liberia, Have a Future". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  4. "AMEU Cleared, Gets Permit To Operate". The Analyst. allAfrica.com. 9 February 2006. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  5. Wrokpoh, Patrick K. (21 February 2006). "Scam at A.M.E. University". The Analyst. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  6. Borteh, George (10 March 2006). "Four Arrested For US$75,000 Fraud at AME University – Others on the Run". The Analyst. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  7. "USAID Dedicates Two Projects". The Inquirer. 24 February 2006. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  8. Sayon, Morrison O.g. (7 November 2006). "AMEU President Resigns". The Inquirer. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  9. Wrokpoh, Patrick K. (12 April 2007). "Protest at AMEU". The Inquirer. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  10. "African Methodist Episcopal University Confers Degrees in Various Disciplines". Executive Mansion. 23 November 2007. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  11. Boimah, Boimah J. V. (8 February 2011). "Ameu Students Rampage Against 'Poor Education'". New Democrat. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  12. "University Overview". uniRank. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  13. "Liberia: AME University Appoints Interim President". FrontPageAfrica. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
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