College of West Africa
The College of West Africa is a Methodist high school in Monrovia, Liberia. The school was opened in 1839 (as the "Monrovia Seminary"), making it one of the oldest European-style schools in Africa. It has produced many of Liberia's leaders. Alumni include Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman elected as president in an African state, and Liberian Vice President Joseph Boakai.
Other Methodist mission successes[edit]
In 1816 the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church institutionalized the course of study for candidates to the ministry. A conference seminary was needed in Liberia to meet this mandate. The Monrovia Seminary was established for this purpose in 1839. (Its program was expanded to preparatory classes and it was later renamed as the College of West Africa in later years.) The Rev. Jabez A. Burton was commissioned as the Seminary's first principal immediately after its establishment; he served until his death in August 1842.
The Rev. Alexander P. Camphor was appointed principal in 1896. At the end of his first year of administration, he began the re-organization of the seminary to include a high school. In 1897 Camphor presented his plans to the Liberian Annual conference, where he gained a majority vote for the adaptation of the Monrovia Seminary to the College of West Africa. Its charter included the following: that it be the one central and leading school of all Methodist educational institutions; providing degree-granting courses in ministerial training while also providing a high school education; that dormitory facilities be established for male and female students.
For the next ten years Rev. Camphor worked to implement this new plan. His first project was construction of the school building that was named the Cox Memorial Auditorium (for Melville B. Cox, in recognition of his mission work.) In 1904, by an act of the Liberian Legislature, the college was officially recognized and confirmed as the College of West Africa.
By 1925, as a result of personnel and financial difficulties, and political interference, the college was forced to close its collegiate department. It continued to function as a secondary school with the appointment of the Rev. R. L. Embree as its new president. Rev. Embree reorganized the curriculum and programs of the school to continue the college preparatory courses, as a high school. He continued the building project started by Rev. Camphor. As a result of his efforts, ground-breaking ceremonies were held on May 25, 1927. Construction was completed and the building ready for dedication on March 7, 1933.
The name “College of West Africa” was retained because of its charter to serve as a degree-granting institution. It later added a curriculum and classes to grant associate degrees in Business and Finance.
The school is 100% owned and operated by the Liberian Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.