Stella Maris Polytechnic University (SMPU) is a private university in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...

, Liberia. Founded in 1988, the school is owned and operated by the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia The Archdiocese of Monrovia (''Archidioecesis Monroviensis'') is Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History ...

. Located on Capitol Hill, the school has approximately 2,300 students. The school is recognized by Liberia's National Commission on Higher Education as an approved baccalaureate granting school of higher learning, and is a member of the

Association of African Universities The Association of African Universities (AAU) (, ) is a university association of African universities based in Accra, Ghana. With member institutions all around Africa, AAU provides a forum for cooperation and exchange of information on higher ...

History

The school traces its history back to the

Arthur Barclay Arthur Barclay (31 July 1854 – 10 July 1938) was the 15th president of Liberia from 1904 to 1912. Early life and education Barclay was born at Bridgetown, Barbados, on 31 July 1854, the tenth of twelve children of Anthony and Sarah Barcl ...

Vocational Institute that had its roots in a donation of land to the church in 1972. Eventually the planned school was renamed as the Arthur Barclay Technical Institute and first held classes in February 1979. Catholic leaders then considered starting a Catholic college beginning in 1985, which eventually led to the establishment of

Don Bosco John Melchior Bosco, SDB (; ; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco or Dom Bosco ( IPA: ), was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer. While working in Turin, where the population suffered many of the ill eff ...

Polytechnic. That school included Arthur Barclay Technical Institute which then became the Arthur Barclay Technical Institute. The larger institution was chartered by the Liberian Legislature on August 15, 1988. Due to

civil strife Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, civil strife, or turmoil, are situations when law enforcement and security forces struggle to maintain public order or tranquility. Causes Any number of things may cause civil dis ...

in the country, Don Bosco did not begin operating until 1993 when the Mother Patern College of Health Sciences opened. Then in January 1997 the school's board resolved to open the larger institution, which occurred in November of that year. Don Bosco Polytechnic was then renamed as Stella Maris Polytechnic in 2005. In May 2007, Ireland's troops serving as part of the

United Nations Mission in Liberia The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was a United Nations peacekeeping operation established in September 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement in Liberia following the resignation of President Charles Taylor and the conclusion of the ...

donated 21 computers as well as a large container of books to the SMP. As of 2009, the school had 2,090 students enrolled. Of those, 1,324 were men and 766 were women. In May 2010, the school's

debate team Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historica ...

won IBI International's inter-collegiate debate competition for Liberia. SMP beat out a total of six other schools, including

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 ...

in the final round. In May 2011, SMP students prevented classes from being held in protest of a proposed tuition hike from US$5 to $7 per credit, as well as a proposed exit examination that would be required to graduate.

References

External links

* {{authority control Universities and colleges in Monrovia Educational institutions established in 1988 1988 establishments in Liberia