History
Cuttington University traces its history back to 1885, when The Rt. Rev. Samuel David Ferguson, Bishop of Liberia, founded a farm school for boys in Cape Palmas with funds received from the Board of Missions of the Episcopal Church in the United States. The school soon moved to Harper City and, in 1889, with a further grant from the Episcopal Church, began the construction of its first building, "Epiphany Hall". The land had been purchased by a donor, Mr. Cutting, and in honor of his donation in 1896 the school was renamed Cuttington Collegiate. It consisted of both a college and a divinity school, and had an enrollment of 100. Standards of admission and achievement were high.
In 1929 the College had to close, largely for financial reasons. But after World War II, through the initiative of the then Bishop of Liberia, the Rt. Rev. Bravid W. Harris, the College was re-opened - but in a new location in Bong County, Suacoco where the land was suitable for farming and the training of agriculturalists. It was also the wish of Liberia's then President William V.S. Tubman to place institutions in locations that would develop the interior of the country.
It re-opened in 1949 as Cuttington College and Divinity School with the Rev. Seth C. Edwards as its first President. Three students enrolled in March, and the number increased to thirteen before the end of the year. The first student to arrive at the new campus was Melvin Mason, who later became Cuttington's President. By 1977, the enrollment had reached 414. In order to better reflect its status as an university level institution, the Trustees voted in 1976 to change the name of the college to Cuttington University College.
Through the years since 1949, Cuttington has endeavored to make its programs of study relevant to the needs of the rapidly changing society. Presently, the College offers Bachelor's degrees in Science, Education, Humanities, Social Science, Nursing, Theology and Agriculture & Rural Development. About two thirds of a student's courses are in one area of concentration and related fields; the rest must be in other disciplines. Graduation requires an established minimum number of 131 credit hours and a prescribed academic average of 2.00 on a four-point scale.
Programms of Study
The College offers bachelor degree in the following disciplines: Language Arts & Literature; French; Education; History; Public Administration; Management; Accountant; Economics; Agriculture & Integrated Rural Development; Nursing; Biology; Chemistry; Mathematics; Theology.
Areas of concentration are biology, business administration, chemistry, general science, economics, education history, language/literature, French, mathematics, nursing, political science, theology and agriculture & rural development. Elective and required courses are offered in the behavioral sciences, fine arts and physics.
In Memoriam: Dr. Vivian J. Edwards (+19 August 2005)
