Originally established in 1889 by the
Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States as Cuttington Collegiate
and Divinity School in Harper, Maryland County, Liberia, the school was
closed in 1929 owing to financial
difficulties. It was later
relocated in 1948 to its present 1500-acre site in Succoco, Bong Count, 120
miles
north of the Liberian capital, Monrovia. The school enjoys
the distinction of being the oldest private
(Christian) co-educational,
four-year institution of higher learning in sub-Saharan Africa.
Over the
next forty years, the "new" Cuttington grew exponentially into one of the most
successful liberal arts
colleges on the continent. By the end of
the 1980's, it had developed into a full-fledged University and
boasted
six degree-granting departments. The best and brightest of Liberian high
school graduates, and of
secondary school graduates from such other
African countries as Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon,
Swaziland,
Sierra Leone, and the Gambia found their way to Cuttington. Most went on
to make valuable
contributions to church, state, and society in various
parts of the world.
Unfortunately, the protracted armed conflict and
social upheaval in Liberia that began at the end of 1989
forced a
shutdown of the University in May 1990 when warlords and rebels overtook the
campus, looting
and stripping the University's entire infrastructure,
including its classrooms, library, dormitories, laboratories
and
museum. Not even the Epiphany Chapel was spared the mischief and ravages
of the 1990's. Thankfully,
with the country's return in 2005 to
civilian government and constitutional rule, efforts are now underway to
reconstruct, rehabilitate and revitalize the University, as life on campus
and in the surrounding communities
returns to normal.
Now
fully owned by the Protestant Episcopal Church of Liberia, Cuttington
University continues to maintain
close
ties with the Government of Liberia, the Protestant Episcopal Church of America,
and a number of U. S.
college organizations, including the Associated
Colleges of the Midwest, the Association of Episcopal
Colleges, the
Partnership for service Learning, as well as student exchange programs with
Kalamazoo,
Susquehanna and Witworth Universities. In addition,
long-standing arrangements have remained in place,
enabling Fulbright
Scholars and Peace Corps Volunteers to continue teaching at Cuttington.
Against this
backdrop, the members of the Cuttington University
Alumni Association in the Americas are committed and
determined to play
their own unique role in the rebuilding of an illustrious institution, their
alma mater. |
PAST PRESIDENTS
Dr.
Melvin J. Mason
Dr. Steven M. Yekeson
Dr. Emmanuel W.
JohnsonDr. Christian Baker
Rev. Seth C.
Edwards
INTERIM
PRESIDENTS
Rev. E. Bolling
Robertson
Rev. S. Yanquoi Reeves. |
| |
The Cuttington
Ode
O Cuttington!
O Cuttington!
Filled are our
hearts with love for thee;
School of all truth and liberty.
In study
and work;
We shall remain faithful to thee.
Epiphany Hall, Epiphany
Hall!
O Cuttington! O Cuttington!
Be thou a champion strong and
bold;
And with thy love the weak uphold.
But if in God thou dost
believe,
The noblest deeds thou wilt achieve.
Epiphany Hall,
Epiphany Hall!
|
|