African Methodist Episcopal University
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The African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU) is a private institution of higher learning located in
Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As th ...
, 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. The school was established in 1995 by the
African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. The African Methodist Episcopal ...
, and chartered by the
Liberian Legislature The Legislature of Liberia is the bicameral legislature of the government of Liberia. It consists of a Senate – the upper house, and a House of Representatives – the lower house, modeled after the United States Congress. Sessions are held at ...
in 1996.


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. Bryant Theological Seminary had been started in 1992 by David R. Daniels, Jr., now a bishop in the church. The university was then chartered in February 1996. In 2003, Louise C. York served as president of the university, and accounting was the most popular major at the Christian school. During the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003, the school's campus was attacked and ransacked. 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. 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. A scam by students at the school in February 2006 cost the university US$100,000 in lost funds, which resulted in the arrest of four people the next month. Also in February 2006, USAID paid for some reconstruction on the campus. Levi Zangar resigned as president of the school in November 2006 citing problems with the school's board of directors. 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. The school held its eighth commencement in November 2007 at the
Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex The Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Stadium (frequently abbreviated SKD Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium which is part of the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville, Liberia, a suburb of the country's capital, Monrovia. Built in 1986, it is ...
, with Liberian President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born Ellen Eugenia Johnson, 29 October 1938) is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. Sirleaf was born in Monro ...
as the convocation speaker. The school graduated over 400 students at that time. In February 2011, students at AMEU protested an increase in tuition, poor pay for their instructors, and for providing a poor education. The school had raised the cost per course to US$11 from $8. As of 2018, the school had 5,051 students enrolled, with 254 of those being graduate students. The total enrollment placed the school as the second biggest in the country, behind only the
University of Liberia The University of Liberia (UL or LU in older versions of abbreviation) is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the university opened in 1862 as Liberia Coll ...
. On March 31, 2020, a new interim president, Rev. Alvin E. Attah, Sr., was named by the Board of Trustees of the University.


References


External links

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Faith Based Higher Education Institutions
at the National Commission on Higher Education, Liberia {{Authority control 1995 establishments in Liberia Educational institutions established in 1995 Private universities and colleges in Africa Universities and colleges affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church Universities and colleges in Monrovia