Tubman University — one of only two public universities in Liberia — sits on a large campus north of Harper's centre. It was founded in the 1970s and named for William V.S. Tubman, the longest-serving president of Liberia (1944–1971), who had personal roots in Harper and Maryland County. The university's presence gives the town a student population and a more active street life than the rest of Harper might suggest.
The campus is green and relatively peaceful. For travellers interested in post-war Liberian reconstruction, Tubman University is an interesting case: the institution has been rebuilding capacity and programmes since the end of the civil conflict, and its functioning is a meaningful indicator of how far recovery has come in this remote corner of the country.