My time in Liberia was spent teaching at the newly formed College of
Business and Public Administration at the University of Liberia in
Monrovia. My tenure there began rather inauspiciously as I visited
the Dean's office before in-country training to try to get information to
allow me to prepare for the courses I would be teaching. I was told
by the Dean's secretary and then by the Dean himself, that they had
not known that I would be coming and all courses for the March term had
been assigned--nothing for me to do!! As it turned out my arrival
was a blessing as the Fulbright teacher decided to leave and everyone had
to scramble to pick up his course load.
During my two years there I taught Econometrics, Statistics, Government
and Business, and Management. Students honored me by asking that I
become the advisor to the Economics and Management Student Association.
We did some trips to various companies, including Firestone at Harbel.
I did some traveling around West Africa, but never made it to the game
parks in East Africa. I delayed my departure from Liberia by a half
year to finish work on and see into print the College's first Bulletin.
I've lost touch with virtually all my students. Some of my them have
done well: One is the current President of LPMC (Liberia Produce Marketing
Company), another is a banker and former head of the Liberia central bank
and the third, who I spoke with a few months ago as he was in the States
as a delegate to a YMCA conference, became Minister of Agriculture in the
Doe government.
As for me, my first job upon returning was a three year stint as Project
Manager, then Vice President of a development firm in Quincy, MA. I
then began my quarter century association with Northeastern University in
Boston. As Assistant Dean I directed the undergraduate business
program for most of this time. Currently I am beginning my third
year as Director of the Full-time MBA Programs. I've been with the
Boston Area Returned Peace Corps Volunteer organization virtually since
its inception and am currently on the membership committee, about to
produce the new membership directory. The malaria that tried to
spoil my 1972 vacation in Senegal and Mali has never returned.
I live in Quincy and share the house, I designed and had built, with a
neurotic (aren't they all) Dalmatian named Maximilian von Ramseier.
I'm a two minute walk (Max does it 17 seconds if there is a squirrel
leading) to Quincy Bay and have view of Boston and the harbor from the
front of the house, views of the Town River from the back.
By the way, an RPCV will begin as a student in the new
MBA class starting in March 2001. The PC experience is a
definite plus for a candidate for our program.
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