56   

Call for papers

Vol 3(2) 2015
Open call

Submissions are invited from student affairs practitioners and researchers in student affairs 
and higher education studies. The Journal of Student Affairs in Africa is seeking contributions 
for its Vol. 3 Issue 2 (2015). The Editorial Executive of the JSAA welcomes theoretical, 
practice-relevant, and professional-reflective contributions from across the scholarly field 
and professional domains of student affairs and services that are relevant to the African 
higher education context. Details of the scope and focus and editorial policies of the 
Journal can be found under “JSAA About” on the Journal’s website www.jsaa.ac.za. 
Particularly welcome are:

• Case studies of innovative practices and interventions in student affairs in the 
context of African higher education (e.g. in career development, citizenship 
development, community engagement and volunteering, counselling, leadership 
development, residence management, student sport, teaching and learning, student 
engagement, student governance and politics, as well as all aspects of student life);

• Conceptual discussions of student student affairs and development, and key enablers 
and inhibitors of student development in Africa;

• High-level reflective practitioner accounts of empirical, normative or conceptual 
nature. By this we refer to both critical-reflective accounts of practices as well as 
personal reflections, which can provide the building blocks for future case studies 
and grounded theory approaches;

• Explorations of the nexus of student affairs theory, policy and practice in the African 
context and beyond; and

• Syntheses and explorations of authoritative literature, theories, and professional 
trends related to student affairs in Africa.

The journal also publishes relevant book reviews and professional and conference reports 
and notices from scholarly associations and institutions. 

Please email the journal manager, Dr Thierry Luescher-Mamashela, with any queries or 
suggestions for contributions (Email: jsaa_editor@outlook.com). To send us a manuscript 



   57

for consideration, please register as an author and consult the submission guidelines on the 
Journal’s website. Manuscripts can be submitted directly to the journal manager via email. 
The JSAA is a peer-reviewed publication and adheres to the ASSAf Guidelines for best 
practice in scholarly publishing. The journal is committed to assisting emerging scholars 
and professionals in developing promising manuscripts to the point of publication. 

The closing date for receiving papers to be considered for Vol. 3 Issue 2 (2015) is 31 
May 2015.

Please note: There are no processing fees or page fees. No costs accrue to authors of 
articles accepted for publication.



58   

	
  
	
  

	
  

	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
The	
  International	
  Association	
  of	
  Student	
  Affairs	
  and	
  Services	
  was	
  officially	
  founded	
  on	
  March	
  1,	
  2010.	
  
The	
  purposes	
  of	
  IASAS	
  are	
  to:	
  
	
  

-­‐ Strengthen	
  and	
  diversity	
  cooperation	
  among	
  individuals	
  and	
  organizations	
  in	
  the	
  student	
  affairs	
  
and	
  services	
  field	
  worldwide.	
  

-­‐ Promote	
  the	
  student	
  affairs	
  and	
  services	
  profession	
  at	
  the	
  international	
  level	
  through	
  advocacy	
  
with	
  governmental	
  and	
  higher	
  education	
  organizations,	
  networking	
  and	
  sharing	
  information	
  
among	
  practitioners	
  and	
  student	
  groups,	
  and	
  encouraging	
  high	
  quality	
  preparation	
  and	
  
professional	
  development	
  programs.	
  

-­‐ Provide	
  a	
  platform	
  for	
  the	
  improvement	
  of	
  multi	
  and	
  intercultural	
  communication	
  and	
  
understanding.	
  

-­‐ Promote	
  the	
  welfare	
  of	
  students	
  in	
  higher	
  education	
  worldwide	
  through	
  collaboration	
  with	
  
international	
  governmental	
  and	
  non-­‐governmental	
  organisations	
  and	
  addressing	
  such	
  issues	
  as	
  
access,	
  retention,	
  quality,	
  student	
  rights,	
  and	
  the	
  cost	
  of	
  higher	
  education.	
  

	
  
IASAS	
  utilizes	
  technology	
  for	
  conducting	
  most	
  of	
  its	
  activities.	
  This	
  includes	
  such	
  applications	
  as	
  the	
  
IASAS	
  website,	
  email,	
  internet	
  and	
  video	
  conferencing,	
  and	
  social	
  networks,	
  etc.	
  Occasional	
  face-­‐to-­‐face	
  
meetings	
  are	
  held	
  in	
  various	
  locations	
  around	
  the	
  world	
  and	
  in	
  conjunction	
  with	
  existing	
  meetings	
  of	
  
international,	
  national,	
  and	
  regional	
  groups	
  whenever	
  possible.	
  	
  
	
  
IASAS	
  Africa	
  Regional	
  Coordinator:	
  	
  
Dr	
  Birgit	
  Schreiber	
  (South	
  Africa),	
  Email:	
  africaregion@iasasonline.org	
  
IASAS	
  website:	
  http://www.iasasonline.org	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  



   59

Latest publications by African Minds

The goal of the book Perspectives on Student Affairs in South Africa 
is to generate interest in student affairs in South Africa. The 
chapters contained herein are based on best practice, local 
experience and well-researched international and local theories. 
The chapters deal with matters pertaining to international and 
national trends in student affairs: academic development, access 
and retention, counselling, and material support for students 
coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. They are linked to 
national and international developments, as described in the first 
two chapters.

This publication will assist both young and experienced practitioners as they grow into 
their task of developing the students entrusted to them. All contributors are South Africans 
with a great deal of experience in student affairs, and all are committed to the advancement 
of student affairs in South Africa. The editors are former heads of student affairs portfolios 
at two leading South African universities.

Perspectives on Student Affairs in South Africa is edited by M Speckman and M Mandew and 
published in May 2014 by African Minds. It is available in print from the publisher’s website 
www.africanminds.org.za at R150. The full PDF can be downloaded free of charge from 
the same site.

Higher Education in Portuguese Speaking African Countries provides 
an authoritative overview of higher education in the five 
lusophone countries in Africa: Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-
Bissau, Mozambique, and Sao Tome and Principe. It focuses on 
the background and historical context of higher education, the 
establishment of public and private institutions, related trends 
of expansion, diversification and differentiation, the current 
institutional landscape and programmes, governance, quality 
assurance, funding and financing, access and equity, and ICT. 

Higher Education in Portuguese Speaking African Countries is written 
by Patrício Vitorino Langa and published in 2013 by African Minds. It is availble in print 
from the publisher’s website www.africanminds.org.za at R150. The full PDF can be 
downloaded free of charge from the same site.



60   

Submissions
Please register as an author and read the Author Guidelines at www.jsaa.ac.za. Submissions must be 
made by email to the Journal Manager at jsaa_editor@outlook.com. 

The JSAA typically has themed issues. However, submissions that fall within the general scope and 
focus of the Journal can be made at any time and may be published irrespective of the overall theme of 
the journal. Particularly encouraged are open-theme manuscripts that address the following:
• Case studies of innovative practices in student affairs in the context of African higher education 

(e.g. in teaching and learning, residence management, student governance, student counselling).
• High-level reflective practitioner accounts. 
• Explorations of the nexus of student affairs theory, policy and practice in the African context and beyond.
• Conceptual discussions of student development, and key enablers and inhibitors of student 

development in Africa.
• Explorations of authoritative literature, theory and professional trends related to student affairs in 

Africa.

Please note that there are different requirements for different types of manuscripts:
• Research articles: Contributors are encouraged to submit research-based manuscripts. 

Research articles must include an extensive consideration of recent literature and relevant theory. 
Research-based articles must be original, research-based and make a significant conceptual (or 
empirical or normative) contribution relevant to the scope and focus of the JSAA. Length must 
be approximately 5 000 words including all references, notes, tables and figures. Manuscripts 
should be accompanied by an abstract of approximately 150-300 words.

• Reflective practitioner accounts: High-quality reports on professional campus practice are 
screened and reviewed according to the same criteria as research articles, albeit with a different 
emphasis. Unlike a research article, they do not need to include an extensive consideration 
of recent literature and theory, but they must nonetheless comply with standard academic 
convention and scholarly practice. Reflective practitioner articles must be original, must make a 
significant empirical contribution and significantly enhance our understanding of student affairs 
practice within their respective scope and focus. Typical length should be 2 500–5 000 words. 
Manuscripts should be accompanied by an abstract of approximately 150–300 words.

• Book reviews should be between 800 and 1 000 words in length. Competent reviews of key 
student affairs books are published at the discretion of the Editorial Executive.

• Comments and critique, of no more than 2 500 words, are also welcome.
• Proposal for the Journal’s Dialogue/Interview section and Calls and Notices should 

be emailed directly to the Journal Manager. The publication of calls and notices (for conferences, 
vacancies, etc.) may incur a nominal fee.

Authors are required to check off their submission’s compliance with all of the following items, and 
submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines may be returned to authors.
1. The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for 

consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
2. The submission file is in MS Word, OpenOffice, or RTF document file format.
3. The text is double-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics rather than underlining (except 

with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures and tables are placed within the text at the 
appropriate points, rather than at the end.

4. The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined on the Journal’s website.
5. The Journal uses the APA author–date referencing system.
6. If submitting to a peer-reviewed section of the journal, i.e. as a research article or reflective 

practioner account, the instructions in Ensuring a Blind Review must have been followed.
7. If submitting a proposal for the Dialogue section, a Call/Notice, or a Comment/Critique should 

be emailed directly to the Journal Manager.
8. The final text of the article has been professionally edited and proofread prior to submission.
9. The front page of the manuscript indicates the Section under which it is proposed that the 

article be published, i.e. Research Article (peer reviewed); Reflective Practice (peer reviewed); or 
Book Reviews/Dialogues/other contributions.



   61

10. Permission to reproduce any copyrighted material has been obtained and can be produced should this 
be requested by the Editorial Team.

Section review policy and process
The JSAA publishes research articles (peer reviewed); high-quality reflective practitioner accounts (peer 
reviewed); dialogues/interviews (non-reviewed); and book reviews (non-reviewed). The journal is 
committed to assisting emerging scholars and professionals in developing promising manuscripts to the 
point of publication.

Editorial Commentary
¨ Open Submissions ¨ Indexed ¨ Peer Reviewed

Research Articles and Professional Practitioner Accounts
¨ Open Submissions ¨ Indexed ¨ Peer Reviewed

Dialogue/Interview Section
¨ Open Submissions ¨ Indexed ¨ Peer Reviewed

Book Reviews
¨ Open Submissions ¨ Indexed ¨ Peer Reviewed

The editorial and peer-review policy adheres to the ASSAf National Code of Best Practice in Editorial 
Discretion and Peer Review for South African Scholarly Journals (ASSAf Council, 2008). All submitted 
manuscripts undergo an initial careful examination by the Editorial Executive Committee to ensure 
that authors’ submissions fall within the mission, scope and focus of the JSAA and conform to 
scholarly best practice. Qualifying scholarly research-based articles and high-quality, relevant reflective 
practitioner accounts are blind-reviewed by at least two peer reviewers, who would typically be 
members of the International Editorial Advisory Board of the JSAA. Peer reviewers have proven 
scholarly and/or professional expertise in the subject matter of a manuscript. Reviewer reports are 
assessed by a member of the Editorial Executive and form the basis of any decision by the Editorial 
Executive on how to proceed with a manuscript. The suitability of a manuscript is evaluated in terms 
of originality, significance, scholarship, scope and interest, and accessibility.

Publishing and dissemination policies

Cost of publishing 
There are no processing fees or page fees. No costs accrue to authors of articles accepted for publication. 

Licencing notice
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work 
simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share 
the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive 
distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository 
or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or 
on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, 
as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.

Open access policy
This journal provides open access to its e-journal content. Free copies can be downloaded from 
the journal website at http://www.jsaa.ac.za. Authors are encouraged to place copies of their final 
articles in their institution’s research repository. 

Print copies/subscription
Online subscriptions to the e-journal are free of charge. Please register at www.jsaa.ac.za. 

Printed copies of current and past issues of the journal can be ordered from the following online 
bookstores: African Books Collective http://www.africanbookscollective.com/;  Amazon Books 
http://www.amazon.com; Kalahari.Com http://www.kalahari.com. Print copies can also be ordered 
directly from the publisher’s website http://www.africanminds.org.za and at info@africanminds.org.za



Editorial
Tinto in South Africa: Student integration, persistence and success, and the role of student affairs

Birgit Schreiber, Thierry Luescher-Mamashela and Teboho Moja

Reflective practice
Vincent Tinto’s lectures: Catalysing a focus on student success in South Africa

Diane Grayson

Tinto’s South Africa Lectures
Vincent Tinto

Selected publicatons of Vincent Tinto

Reflections on Tinto’s South Africa Lectures
Laura W. Perna 

Campus dialogue
Report on the establishment of the Southern African Student Affairs Federation

Saloschini Pillay

Book reviews
Speckman, M. & Mandew, M. (Eds.) (2014). Perspectives on Student Affairs in South Africa. 

Reviewed by Munyaradzi Madambi

Pascarella, T. and Terenzin, P. (2005). How College Affects Students, A third decade of research.  
(2nd ed.). Reviewed by Randall S. Lange

The Journal of Student Affairs in Africa (JSAA) is an independent, peer-reviewed, 
multi-disciplinary, open-access academic journal that publishes scholarly research  
and reflective discussions about the theory and practice of student affairs in Africa.

AFRICAN MINDS
www.africanminds.org.za

ISSN 2307-6267