Author Biographies Alice Amegah is an emerging expert in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for human development. She has authored a seminal paper on employer engagement in education and training in Ghana. She is the founder of Education and Aspirations Hub; a not- for-profit organisation connecting education and industry to raise aspirations and encourage skills development. She is reading a PhD in Education at the University of Cambridge. Francis Arthur-Holmes is currently a Hong Kong Doctoral fellowship researcher at Lingnan University’s Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Hong Kong. He holds an MPhil Degree in Development Studies at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. His research covers a wide range of areas including gender studies, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), ageing studies, health services research, family-work dynamics, and student politics. Megan Bam is a Programme Manager in the Academic Development Programme (ADP) in the Center for Higher Education Development (CHED) at the University of Cape Town. She has research interests in higher education management and institutional theory. Dr Moses Basitere is currently a Senior Lecturer in the ASPECT programme at the University of Cape Town. He has a keen interest in Engineering Education Research with a particular focus on the integration of emerging technologies to enhance the teaching and learning of Mathematics and Physics. Dr Basitere has displayed commendable potential as a researcher; he has published several articles in accredited journals, book chapters and conference proceedings. Dr Basitere is one of the 2020 recipients of the NRF Research Excellence Award for Early Career/Emerging Researchers. Kwaku Abrefa Busia holds an MPhil in African Studies from the University of Cambridge where this research was undertaken. He also has an MPhil in Development Studies from Oxford University, and is currently a PhD candidate at the Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Lingnan University, Hong Kong. His research interests include gender studies, higher education and student politics, local governance and development, as well as work- family intersections in Africa. 232 Journal of Student Affairs in Africa | Volume 9(2) 2021 | Issue DOI: 10.24085/jsaa.v9i1 Dr Hestie Byles obtained her Doctorate, focusing on finding ways of enrolling students based on resilience, agency, and structure in higher education. She started working at the University of Pretoria on a part-time basis in 2008 and developed a special interest in academic development. She started her academic career as a junior lecturer and later a lecturer in the Centre for Academic Development until she took over the management of the Centre in 2010 and took responsibility for the Extended Programme in the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Humanities. Dr Deepti Charitar is a Project Manager in the Academic Development Programme (ADP) in the Center for Higher Education Development (CHED) at the University of Cape Town. Her responsibilities include coordinating projects, namely the Siyaphumelela Project and the Data Analytics for Student Success (DASS) Project, and developing and maintaining data dashboards for the UCT Call Center and Referral System (UCT CARES). Her research interests include academic advising, data analytics and sustainable energy technologies. Dr Danie de Klerk is the Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Commerce, Law, and Management (CLM) at the University of the Witwatersrand, and Head of the CLM Teaching and Learning Centre. His research revolves around learning and teaching in higher education, viewed through a Social/Critical Realist lens. Danie’s areas of focus/ interest include academic advising and advising practices for South African contexts, student success and support, critical self-reflection as a tool for enabling professional learning, academic literacies, and the use of data analytics to inform and enhance student success. Danie was part of the team that won the Wits Vice Chancellor’s Team Teaching Award in 2021. He has been working in the South African higher education sector since 2007. Simphiwe Dlulani is a Project Officer for the UCT Call Center and Referral System (UCTCARES). He has research interests in South African foreign policy, peace and security in Africa, and African trade. Dr Danny Fontaine-Rainen is Director of the First Year Experience (FYE) at the University of Cape Town. She is based in the Center for Higher Education Development (CHED). She has particular disciplinary research interests in urban development - particularly how cities facilitate and/or constrain children’s access to daily physical activity and FYE research interests in first-generation students and their success at university, academic advising, and indicators of students’ success. 233Author’s Biographies Dr Rosheena Jeawon is currently an Academic Development Practitioner at the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at the Durban University of Technology. She also coordinated Academic Advising in the Student Support Unit as well as academic staff continuous professional development activities. Her field of specialization is in student academic development and success with research areas in assessment, and effective support systems for First Year students in higher education. Robert Lucas Kaniki, lived, studied, and worked in Tanzania, has research interests in HE management, internationalization, financial aid, and globalization across the African continent and in the intersection with China. He has a Ph.D. in Higher Education, Institute of Education, Xiamen University, China. Sindi Kwenaite was a researcher for the University of Pretoria at the time of the research. She has a Master’s degree in Textile Design and Technology from the Tshwane University of Technology. She started her career in education by working with children with challenges, focusing on universal access to education through active learner support. As a university lecturer, she worked predominantly with postgraduate supervision and taught courses in research methodology and writing at the Tshwane University of Technology and LISOF. She has worked on a major pilot project for the development of education professionals for South Africa’s National Department of Basic Education and managed a skills development programme for disadvantaged youths who do not have access to tertiary education. She is currently managing the Education Portfolio for the South African Council for the Construction and Project Management Professions. Prof. Thierry M. Luescher is the Research Director for Post-schooling and Work in the Inclusive Economic Development Division of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), Cape Town, and an affiliate Associate Professor in Higher Education Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS), Mangaung, South Africa. Before that, he was Assistant Director for Institutional Research at the UFS, a Senior Lecturer in Higher Education Studies and extraordinary Senior Lecturer in Political Studies at the University of the Western Cape, and a Senior Researcher in the Centre for Higher Education Transformation (CHET), Cape Town. He has a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education from the UFS and obtained his PhD in Political Studies from the University of Cape Town. Thierry is an NRF-rated researcher with expertise in higher education studies, policy and governance, the student experience, student politics, student affairs, and higher education development in Africa. He is 234 Journal of Student Affairs in Africa | Volume 9(2) 2021 | Issue DOI: 10.24085/jsaa.v9i1 a founder and editor of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa, and member of the editorial boards of the Journal of College Student Development, Makerere Journal of Higher Education and African Higher Education Dynamics. Thierry recently edited the books Student Politics in Africa: Representation and Activism (with M. Klemenč ič and J.O. Jowi, 2016) and Reflections of South African Student Leaders, 1994-2017 (with D. Webbstock and N. Bhengu, 2020). His publication list and links to open access downloads can be viewed at www.thierryluescher.net. Dr Henry Mason is a social science researcher at the Tshwane University of Technology. He is registered as a Research Psychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa, holds a Y-rating from the National Research Foundation, and is a past president of the Southern African Association for Counselling and Development in Higher Education. Henry’s research interests include positive psychology, specifically emphasising purpose, meaning, and well-being among student populations. Dr Disaapele Mogashana  is a Lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at UCT. She was a researcher at the Institute for Science and Technology Education (ISTE) at UNISA and a Lecturer in the Academic Support Programme for Engineering in Cape Town (ASPECT) at UCT. She holds a PhD in Engineering Education, MPhil, and BSc (Chemical Engineering) from UCT. Her research interests are in Engineering Education, Student Success and First-Year-Experience. Prof. Teboho Moja is Clinical Professor of Higher Education at New York University. She is also a Visiting Research Fellow, Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship at the University of Pretoria (South Africa), and an Extraordinary Professor at the Institute of Post- School Studies, University of the Western Cape (South Africa) Her teaching experience includes high school and university levels. Teboho has held key positions at several South African universities, including being appointed Chair of the Council of the University of South Africa. She has held positions as Professor Extraordinaire at the University of Pretoria, the University of Johannesburg and the University of the Western Cape, and has been Visiting Professor at the University of Oslo (Norway) and the University of Tampere (Finland). She was instrumental in setting up the Centre for Higher Education Trust (CHET) in South Africa and is currently serving as Chair of its board. In addition, she has served on the boards of international bodies such as the UNESCO Institute for International Education Planning and the World Education Market. She has also served as Executive Director and Commissioner to 235Author’s Biographies Commissioner to the National Commission on Higher Education (1995-1996) appointed by President Mandela. Before joining New York University, Teboho served as a special advisor to two ministers of education in post-1994 South Africa. She has authored several articles on higher education reform issues in areas such as the governance of higher education, policy processes, and the impact of globalisation on higher education, and co-authored a book on educational change in South Africa. She is a founding member and Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa. Raazia Moosa is the Head of Academic Support at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits) and the Vice President of ELETSA, the Professional Association for Advisors in South Africa. She played a leading role in institutionalising advising at Wits and convenes a community of practice for Advisors. Her research interests are in student success, academic advising, evidence-based practice and programme evaluation. Tonny Nelson Matjila is a Research Training and Development Office at the University of South Africa. He is responsible for coordinating research training workshops for postgraduate students. He is a PhD student focusing on student support in ODL after having worked in several student support departments at UNISA. Prof. Ana Naidoo was the Deputy Director: Academic Support in the Department for Education Innovation at the University of Pretoria at the time of the research. Her PhD in Mathematics Education is from Aalborg University in Denmark. Her involvement in higher education spans being a Head of Department and then Dean of Education at the merged Nelson Mandela University, Deputy Dean of Education at the University of Pretoria and finally before retiring as Deputy Director. Gedala Mulliah Naidoo is a senior lecturer in the Department of Communication Science, Faculty of Arts, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa Campus, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Dr Timothy Aduojo Obaje is an Academic Development Practitioner (ADP) at the Durban University of Technology. He has over nine years of lecturing experience. His fields of specialization include Student Academic Development and Success; Academic Staff Professional Development; Reconciliation and Peacebuilding; Public Administration and Public Policy; and Research Methods. He is a passionate scholar and researcher. His ideas are widely shared at international conferences, conference proceedings, policy briefs, and peer-reviewed journals. 236 Journal of Student Affairs in Africa | Volume 9(2) 2021 | Issue DOI: 10.24085/jsaa.v9i1 Dr Sylvia Kabumle Ocansey specialises in adolescent and youth development, although she is a counsellor by profession. A current lecturer at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, West Africa, Dr Ocansey has more than fifteen years of counselling and teaching experience. She is also credited with several academic publications in counselling and other key social areas. Juanitill Pettus was a Project Officer for the University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG) project on Academic Advising. She is a facilitator, coach, mentor, and strategist, who is dedicated to promoting equal opportunity through reflective practice and supporting research for impact. She has nearly 10 years of experience working in the development sector with a strong focus on access to education, access to employment and leadership development. Dr Enid Bunki Pitsoane works as head of counselling at the University of South Africa, where she offers career and personal counselling to students. She has been involved in this profession for the past 16 years where she gives guidance to students on relevant career paths, adjustment skills to tertiary life as well as other personal challenges that affect students during their course. She also works as an educational psychologist in a private practice where she specialises with learners with learning problems an interest she developed when working with communities in assisting the disadvantaged learners to reach their potential and have hope for the future. Yasmin Rugbeer was the former acting director of the Teaching and Learning Centre and the director of the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa Campus, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Monique Schoeman is an academic and career advisor at the University of the Free State with more than ten years work experience in the higher education sector. She has Bachelor of Honours degrees in Psychology and English, and her Masters dissertation focuses on academic and career advising within a South African university. She finds fulfilment in helping people explore and actualise their full potential at university and beyond. Dr Birgit Schreiber is a member of the Africa Centre for Transregional Research at Alberts- Ludwig-Universität Freiburg, Germany, and the Vice-President of IASAS, the Executive Editorial for the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa, a consultant for Higher Education Leadership and Management, and for Stellenbosch University, where she is leading the Secretariat for the International Network for Town and Gown Universities. Prior to this, she was the Senior Director of Student Affairs at Stellenbosch University and the Director of 237Author’s Biographies the Director of the Centre for Student Support Services at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Cape Town. She holds a PhD from UWC. Birgit has published in national and international academic journals and books on student support and development, has presented research papers and keynotes in national and international conferences, and has given lectures at UC Berkley, the University of Leuven, and the University of Oslo. She was a visiting scholar at the UC Berkeley, where she was involved in their Student Affairs department. She has been a member of the national executive of various professional organisations, including the South African Association of Senior Student Affairs Professionals (SAASSAP), and the Southern African Federation of Student Affairs and Services (SAFSAS). Dimakatso Sebothoma is a Project Administrator for the Academic Development Programme (ADP) in the Center for Higher Education Development (CHED) at the University of Cape Town. She is an engineering graduate and recently completed her Masters degree in sustainable energy engineering. Her broader research interests include engineering education, student success, and the advancement of academic advising and technology. Prof. Maximus Monaheng Sefotho is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology (with a specialisation/focus on Career Guidance and Disability) at the University of Johannesburg. He contributed to the development of the competency framework for career development practitioners. He is now working in career transitioning of differently-abled persons from home through to the world of work. Carmelita Lee Shong is a Programme Manager for the Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP) located in the Center for Higher Education Development (CHED). She has a Masters Degree in Higher Education with particular research interests in student success at university. Dr Riashna Sithaldeen is Deputy Director of the Academic Development Programme (ADP) in the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) at the University of Cape Town. She has research interests in identifying systemic obstacles to student success and academic advising as a tool to advance student success. Prof. François Strydom is currently the Senior Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of the Free State. He has been the project leader of the South African Surveys of Student Engagement (SASSE) since 2007. The SASSE project, sponsored by the Kresge Foundation, has been used by 20 public higher education institutions across Southern Africa. Prof Strydom led the workstream on Academic Advising in Siyaphumelela and co- 238 Journal of Student Affairs in Africa | Volume 9(2) 2021 | Issue DOI: 10.24085/jsaa.v9i1 Academic Advising in Siyaphumelela and co-leads the DHET National Collaborative Grant on Academic Advising which is facilitating the development of academic advising in South African higher education.  He is the recipient of various research grants and has published several national and international articles focused on higher education issues. Hettie Terblanche, a lecturer in Engineering Science, completed her MEd (Science Education). After completing short courses in neuroscience and a mentoring course she enrolled for her PhD studies. Hettie’s PhD study focused on applying neuroscience and mentoring in offering support to undergraduate engineering students. She has developed a keen interest in applying neuroscience and mentoring as tools to advance student success among engineering students. Gugu Wendy Tiroyabone (nee Khanye) is the Assistant Director: Advising, Access and Success in the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of the Free State. Ms Tiroyabone is responsible for providing leadership and management in the research, implementation and evaluation of academic advising and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Her work includes the management of strategic relationships with national and international stakeholders involved in the advising network. Dr Chinaza Uleanya is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Business Management Department, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa. Mofoluwake Oluwadamilola Uleanya is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication Science, Faculty of Arts, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa Campus, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Prof. Barend van Wyk has a passion for technology and the demystification and communication of complex technological, scientific, educational, and management concepts in a novel and fun way. He is an NRF-rated researcher who has published more than 173 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers and has successfully supervised/co-supervised more than 44 doctoral and Masters students. His research interests include artificial and computational intelligence, machine learning, and engineering education. Ermien van Pletzen (Associate Professor) is Director of the Academic Development Programme (ADP) in the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) at the University of Cape Town. She has degrees in Languages, Literature and Public Health. Her research interests are in academic literacies, evidence-based educational development and community-based health and rehabilitation. 239Author’s Biographies