Bartekwa Targets Partnership Between UL, Sharda University

Grand Kru County Senator Numene T.H. Bartekwa, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the University of Liberia (UL), has begun a week-long official visit to India.

Bartekwa’s visit is to strengthen academic cooperation between UL, and Sharda University.

He also serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Investment and Concessions. He arrived in Greater Noida on Friday, July 24, as an official guest of Sharda University.

Bartekwa’s arrival was marked by brief welcome ceremony Liberian students studying in the Greater Noida area, particularly students enrolled at Sharda University organized.

The students welcomed Sen. Bartekwa at the Stellar Gymkhana Resort, a four-star hotel located along the Greater Noida Expressway, with representatives of Sharda University also in attendance.

Among the student representatives, were Arthurlyne SK Johnson, President of the Liberian student body and a law student; Simon Kumeh, Vice President and Health Sciences student; Prince Omasco B. Gbalea, Co-Chair for Media and Public Relations and a Psychology student; and Wilnet Z.S. Gaye, Chair of the Grievance Committee and a Master’s student in Water Resources Management and Environmental Science.

Associate Professor, Dr. Josephus M. Gray, Dean at the University of Liberia, and Sharda University’s Ambassador to Liberia, also attended the ceremony and represented the two institutions.

Sen. Bartekwa expressed appreciation to the students for their warm welcome reception, and encouraged them to take their studies seriously, emphasizing their responsibility to serve as ambassadors of Liberia while studying abroad.

He urged the students to maximize their time in India, and take full advantage of the educational and professional opportunities available to them.

Bartekwa’s visit follows an official invitation from Sharda University, and is expected to feature a series of high-level engagements with the institution’s leadership, including the Chancellor, Pro-Chancellor, President of the International Relations Division, Deans, Directors, and managers of Sharda Healthcare.

The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation between Sharda University, and the University of Liberia in areas that included student and faculty exchanges, collaborative research, curriculum development, professional training, digital learning, scholarships, technology advancement, and academic capacity building.

Bartekkwa is also expected to tour several academic, research, and healthcare facilities at Sharda University, including its multi-million-dollar hospital, Sharda Launchpad, and various Centers of Excellence dedicated to artificial intelligence in medicine, imaging and forensics, solar cells and renewable energy, research and development, and other specialized fields.

He is also scheduled to visit the university’s libraries, online learning center, auditorium, sports facilities, and other academic infrastructure.

In 2022, the two institutions established a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote collaboration in several areas, including joint venture investments in the private sector, faculty development, technological advancement, and collaborative research and publication.

The agreement also provides for visiting professorships, faculty sabbaticals, student and faculty exchanges, academic credit transfers, joint publications, faculty and staff development, and quality assurance initiatives.

As part of plans to further strengthen the partnership, Sharda University and the University of Liberia are also working to establish a joint Center of Excellence in Social Sciences-driven research.

The proposed Center of Excellence is expected to promote innovation-driven and multidisciplinary research while creating opportunities for training and collaboration among faculty members, educational leaders, students, and industry stakeholders.

The initiative is also intended to bridge the gap between university academic programs and current workforce requirements through standardized processes, skills development, and interdisciplinary innovation.

The framework for the proposed Center of Excellence is expected to be forwarded to University of Liberia President Prof. Dr. Layli Maparyan for further action and eventual official launch.

A temporary space has reportedly been identified for the center within the Amos C. Sawyer College at the University of Liberia’s Fendall campus.