Lutheran University’s Phebe Campus announces closure

By Edwin N Khakie

The Lutheran University of Liberia’s Phebe-Esther Bacon College of Health Sciences has been temporarily shut down following a wave of student protests that have spiraled into a full-blown campus crisis.

Phebe, Bong County, June 16, 2025–What was once a vibrant center of learning and medical training is now silent. Dormitories are empty, lecture halls are locked, and faculty offices lie deserted as both students and staff abandon the campus amid rising tensions and a growing atmosphere of uncertainty.

The flashpoint came on June 10, when student leaders launched a high-stakes protest by locking several key university administrators inside the main administrative building. The bold action, while controversial, was aimed at drawing national attention to what students’ claims are years of administrative neglect and unresolved grievances.

By early Wednesday morning, June 11, most university officials had vacated the campus, citing security concerns considering the volatile situation. Their departure triggered an immediate and indefinite shutdown of academic and administrative activities.

Although the university administration has yet to issue an official statement detailing the nature of the conflict, sources within the student body cite chronic infrastructural decay, insufficient academic resources, and a lack of responsiveness from university leadership as the core issues fueling the unrest.

“We’ve been raising these concerns for years—about classrooms with broken chairs, labs without equipment, and promises that never materialize,” said a student protest leader who requested anonymity. “We are the future health workers of this country. We cannot be trained under these conditions.”

The protest and subsequent campus closure highlight deeper systemic challenges within Liberia’s higher education system—especially in institutions tasked with training critical personnel for the country’s fragile healthcare sector.

Efforts by local mediators, including community leaders and church representatives affiliated with the university, have so far failed to bring both sides to the negotiating table. The absence of a clear roadmap for reopening has left students, faculty, and parents in limbo.

“We’re deeply concerned about the academic future of these students,” said one faculty member who spoke off the record. “The university leadership must act urgently to resolve this crisis. This is not just a campus issue—this affects the health and education sectors nationwide.”

Visuals from the once-bustling Phebe campus paint a picture of disruption and disillusionment. Banners and protest slogans remain tacked to building walls, while locked gates and deserted pathways signal an indefinite pause to campus life.

For many students enrolled in the health sciences program, the shutdown represents more than just a temporary interruption—it’s a critical delay in their journey toward becoming nurses, midwives, and healthcare professionals in a country that desperately needs them.

As the situation at the Phebe Campus gains national attention, pressure is mounting on the Lutheran University of Liberia’s central administration to intervene, restore order, and begin the process of rebuilding trust with the student body.

With no resolution in sight and no official timeline for reopening, the university faces mounting criticism for its handling of the crisis—and a growing call for a transparent, inclusive, and student-centered response.

The fate of hundreds of aspiring health professionals now hangs in the balance, as Liberia watches and waits for meaningful action to restore academic normalcy to one of its key institutions. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.