Dr. Syrulwa Somah is a native of Liberia born in Kokoyah, Upper Bong County on January 1, 1959. Having graduated from Zwedru Multilateral High School, he attended Tubman College, present day Tubman University. He was awarded a scholarship to study aviation abroad. While residing in the USA, he was also educated at Fiorello La Guardia Community College in Long Island, New York where he earned an Associate of Arts degree and a BSc. Degree in Occupational Safety & Health from the State University of New York. Dr. Somah has two master’s degrees (General Healthcare Administration) from Central Michigan University and (History & Religion) from the University of Oklahoma.

On December 8, 2015, Dr. Syrulwa Somah, was appointed President of Harbel College by Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The first President of Harbel College brings to the institution over 30 years of leadership expertise across a number of leading national and international institutions. At the core of his commitment, is seeing the college as the best investment Liberia’s tomorrow: to serve as gateways to social mobility and economic opportunity for all hard-working students — regardless of their income, ethnicity, or parents’ education — and builds Liberian leaders by providing access to quality and affordable education, and go on to rewarding careers.

Before joining Harbel College, he served as Vice President for Administration and Vice President for Sponsored Programs, and Economic Development at W.V.S. Tubman University (TU). Prior to joining TU, Dr. Somah was Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Occupational Safety & Health and Graduate Program Coordinator at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. He is also the Executive Director of Liberian History, Education & Development. He is the author of several books, including, The Historical Resettlement of Liberia and Its Environmental Impact; Christianity, Colonization and State of African Spirituality; Nyanyan Gohn-Manan: History, Migration & Government of the Bassa, a book about traditional Bassa leadership and cultural norms published in 2003, Scrapping Coup D’état for the New dependent Movement in Africa, and Duankadyu: Legend of the Bassa.

Dr. Somah has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Outstanding Service Through Training and Promotion of Safety Awareness, City of Greensboro, Department of Transportation Award (1998); the Africa Environmental Watch Humanitarian Award (2009); Liberia Image Award (2008); NCA & T State University’s “Teacher of the Year Award” (2007); “Faculty Innovator Award” (2007); and “Outstanding OSH Department Professor of Year Award” (2001 and 2004). He is the recipient of Fulbright Scholarship Award to India (2010). In 2015, one of Liberia’s most respected newspapers, The Daily Observer newspaper of Liberia described him as “True Son of Soil.”

Dr. Somah also has an impressive record of public service and of using sports as therapy for post-conflicts Liberian youth; reorganizing the Liberian military for external defense & internal peacekeeping; tetrahedron electoral format for national election in Liberia; education, particularly around issues of Liberian Studies inclusion in the National Education Reforms of Liberia; and inclusion and inclusive curriculum of relevance to serve the local needs of Liberia.

From 2004 to 2005, he and his colleagues’ malaria eradication campaign began with a symposium on malaria treatment and control on the camps of NC A&T in 2005, a national health conference in Monrovia, Liberia in 2006, and several malaria awareness workshops and seminars within African communities across the U.S. and Liberia. Eventually, a combination of these symposiums and workshops, including a letter writing campaign to U.S. leaders, resulted in Liberia’s inclusion on the list of funding recipients for malaria treatment and control under the U.S. government’s President Malaria Initiatives (PMI).

The U.S. government, through the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, acknowledged LIHEDE’s role in Liberia getting PMI funding by inviting a LIHEDE delegation at the Embassy in 2006 to witness via satellite the official announcement by President George W. Bush of Liberia’s inclusion on the PMI funding list. Liberia did receive more than 70 million under the PMI funds and the Global Fund.

Apart from is busy schedule, Dr. Somah finds time to hang out with his staff be it in yoga class or on the soccer field.

Message From the President

It is my pleasure to introduce you to Harbel College, a unique and vibrant community of scholarship and commitment. Harbel College’s faculty members are recognized experts in their areas of scholarship with extensive real world experience. Many are world renowned; many are engaged in research a new paradigm of preserving and enhancing traditional legacy of Liberia's historical past and moving into an even greater future by focusing on the past for the present, as well as for the challenge of progressive future in our understanding of a niche-oriented higher education with relevant-based curricula to serve the local and national need of our community.

All enjoy fostering the academic success of their students. Through this unique combination of distinguished faculty and curriculum of relevance, we endeavor to prepare you to become ethically and socially responsible leaders for the global community.

In other words, Harbel is the embodiment of a new concept: educating for Liberia where it lacks capacities is our mission, meaning the College doesn’t offer degrees in areas where other higher institutions in Liberia are granting degrees.

Our undergraduate students come from all ethnic backgrounds, reflecting the broad diversity of Harbel City and the world beyond. The students and the staff include different races, ethnic groups, ages, nationalities, religions and career interests. We celebrate the energy and commitment of our student body and our core values of civility, ethnical leadership, social responsibility, innovation, professionalism, and learning.

As a medium-sized institution in Sub-Saharan Africa’s oldest republic, the College concentrates on specializations where conventional research and education had ignored. In this bulletin, you will learn about some of the majors never offered in any of the higher institutions of learning in Liberia. Some are directly related to learning about ourselves or who we are as Liberians. Others concentrate in science and technology. All these challenging programs meet the highest academic and professional standards and will prepare you for a wide range of careers including climate change studies, mechanical and renewable engineering, occupational safety & health, agricultural & applied economics (to feed ourselves) or Liberian Studies, and much more.

In such, it offers limited programs but provides each student with an understanding of humankind's place in the macrocosm, with a sense of tradition, with a set of historical values and scruples, with a commitment to environmental protection, spiritual and ancestral ordinance. Harbel College provides the foundation of morality, with reverence for dignity, with adoration of human creativity, and with a systematic and inquiring heed.

I thank you for your interest in Harbel College and hope to see you on our campus.