129 Author biographies Prof. Derick Blaauw is Professor in the School of Economic Sciences at North‑West University (Potchefstroom campus), South Africa. Prior to taking up this position, he lectured economics at the University of Johannesburg and at the Soweto and Bloemfontein campuses of Vista University. His research interests are mainly in the field of labour and development economics. His current work focuses on the socioeconomic dynamics of vulnerable groups in the informal economy, such as car guards, day labourers and waste pickers. He has received a C3 rating from the National Research Foundation in 2020 and has published in accredited national and international journals. Dr Nkhangweleni Gloria Dama is a Student Counsellor in the Student Counselling and Career Development Unit at the University of Venda. Her main responsibilities include counselling and therapy to students with personal problems, and to provide student and career development programmes at the University. Her areas of research include career counselling, student development and support programmes in institutions of higher learning. She is actively involved in community and school outreach programmes, including career guidance. Mr Azwitamisi Milton Gadisi has been a Library Liaison Officer in the Disability Unit, Center for Higher Education Teaching and Learning, at the University of Venda for the past four years. He was previously employed in the unit as an adapted Technology Practitioner for ten years. His passion for working with disabled students started in 1994 when he became partially sighted after an accident and was cemented by working for thirteen years at the Tshilidzini School for Special Education in Thohoyandou, South Africa, as an educator in the section for the blind. His research interest lies in inclusive education. He gave a presentation at the international world conference on special needs education at The Temple University in Philadelphia, U.S.A., on challenges facing visually impaired students in higher education. He participated in a research project on capacity building for the prevention and management of learner pregnancy in schools as a video capturer of all the sessions and consolidated, edited and telescripted the final product. Mr  Gadisi completed his BA in Education at the University of Venda. He attained his master’s in Public Management from the University of Venda and is currently registered for a PhD in the School of Management at the University of Venda. He is actively involved in provincial and national matters of the South African National Council for the Blind. He is currently also the treasurer of the Limpopo Provincial Council for the Blind. Dr Nupur Goyal currently serves as the Director of Residential Life and University Community Standards at New York University (NYU) Shanghai. In her role, she oversees the residential experience, housing operations, and university community standards, helping students create an engaging, inclusive and supportive community at NYU Shanghai. 130 She  has previously worked at NYU New York and NYU Abu Dhabi in diverse areas of Student Affairs. She has a PhD in Higher and Postsecondary Education from NYU (New York). Her research interests include international higher education, leadership development, and career coaching. Prof. Thierry M. Luescher is a Research Director of Post‑schooling and Work in the Inclusive Economic Development Division of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), Cape Town, and an affiliated 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 researches, teaches and consults on matters of international and comparative higher education, with particular interest in the nexus of higher education with politics in Africa, higher education policy and governance, student politics, the student experience, student affairs, and higher education development in Africa. He has published in local and international scholarly journals, along with several chapters in internationally edited books. He is 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 book Student Politics in Africa: Representation and Activism (with M.  Klemenčič and J.O.  Jowi, 2016). His  publication list and links to open access downloads can be viewed at www. thierryluescher.net. Dr Mxolisi Masango is the Head of the Analytics and Institutional Research (AIR) Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa. He holds a PhD from the University of Pretoria. Mxolisi started his career as a Researcher at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), where he spent more than 10 years. During this time, he led multiple research projects, secured several research grants and published numerous peer‑ reviewed articles in local and international journals. After leaving the ARC, he joined Wits where he is currently involved in various institutional research activities as well as projects focused on student success. Mxolisi is the Project Leader of the Wits Siyaphumelela project, funded by the Kresge Foundation. In addition, Mxolisi is the Deputy‑President of the Southern African Association for Institutional Research (SAAIR). Dr Patricia Barbara Neo (Neo Pat) Maseko has been a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State, South Africa, since 2016 and has also been involved in ad hoc teaching of undergraduate students. Currently, she is a Research Associate at the Global Research Centre in Gauteng, South Africa. She holds a PhD in Education from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Her teaching career covers a broad spectrum of Applied Language in Education and Business Communication studies. http://www.thierryluescher.net http://www.thierryluescher.net 131 She has worked as an Education Consultant for the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria, where she was primarily providing academic support for curriculum design and development as well as for re‑curriculation processes. She formed part of the Directorate of a private higher education institution as an Academic Development Manager, responsible for material development and the monitoring and evaluation of learning programmes. Mrs Tshifhiwa Christinah Matodzi is a Student Counsellor in the Disability Unit, Centre for Higher Education Teaching and Learning, at the University of Venda. Her main responsibility is career and individual counselling as well as academic support for students with disabilities. She holds a master’s in Psychology and is a registered Independent Psychometrist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa. Currently, she is a doctoral student at the University of Fort Hare, South Africa. 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 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 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. Dr Paseka Andrew Mosia is a Senior Lecturer in the Educational Foundations Department of the National University of Lesotho. He teaches courses on inclusive education and supervises master’s and doctoral students in the same field. Ms Takalani Muloiwa is a Researcher and BI Analyst in the Analytics and Institutional Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa. She obtained her master’s in Demography and Population Studies from Wits. Takalani previously worked for an education organisation, New Leaders Foundation, as an Analyst in Data, Monitoring and Evaluation. Prior to this, she was a Research Assistant in the Centre for Researching 132 Education Labour. Takalani leads various institutional research projects, including the Student Biographical Questionnaire, Graduate Exit Survey and the Feeder Schools Study. She is also involved in university rankings and project monitoring and evaluation. Ms Imkhitha Nzungu is a former student and master’s graduate of Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Prof. Tlakale Nareadi Phasha works in the Department of Inclusive Education at the University of South Africa (Unisa), where she teaches and supervises master’s and doctoral students in inclusive education. She is currently leading the Unisa team, which has partnered with the British Council on EU co funded project, “Teaching for All: mainstreaming Inclusive Education in South Africa”. Teaching for All is an ambitious teacher development project that aims to provide all teachers in South Africa with the skills to teach inclusively in diverse classrooms. Ms Gabriela Pinheiro is a contracted Researcher in the Analytics and Institutional Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). She holds a master’s in Social and Psychological Research from Wits. Her research interests include gender‑based violence, campus and student health, community psychology and gender psychology. She is currently completing her research internship at the Unisa Institute for Social and Health Sciences. Dr Marinda Pretorius is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Economics, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. In her research, she focuses on various economic fields, including subjective well‑being, sovereign credit ratings and forecasting methods of macroeconomic variables. Her current research is centred on subjective well‑being issues of students and car guards. She has published in various national and international journals. Ms Phiwokazi Qoza holds an MA in Political and International Studies, Rhodes University, South Africa. Her current research interest in pursuance of a doctorate is on the adaptation of Fourth Wave Feminism by young black women in Cape Town, South Africa, with performances which have been defined as ‘Transactional Sex’ as a case study to explore the many ways they manipulate, accept or reject the male gaze in their negotiation of the self between online personas and lived experience. Dr Yasmin Rugbeer is the Director of Teaching and Learning at the University of Zululand, South Africa. Previously, she served as Director of the Vice‑Chancellor’s office at the same institution. 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 133 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 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). Dr Tshimangadzo Daniel Sikhwari is a former Senior Educational Development Practitioner in the Centre for Higher Education Teaching and Learning (CHETL) at the University of Venda, South Africa. He joined this institution in 1998 after serving for almost 20 years as a teacher in several secondary schools. He holds a master’s in Psychology of Education from the University of South Africa (Unisa) and a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Johannesburg. He has worked for almost 20 years at the University of Venda as career counsellor, academic developer, researcher, and supervisor of postgraduate studies. He has authored and co authored more than 18 manuscripts published in reputable national and international journals, as well as research reports, and has presented and co presented papers at national and international conferences. Dr Sikhwari has retired from the University of Venda and is currently working as an independent Researcher and external supervisor of postgraduate studies at Unisa. His areas of research interest include teaching and learning, student academic development, career development, and academic performance in higher education. Dr Christopher J. Stipeck is currently the Director of Residential Staff and Programs at New York University. He has 15 years of experience working in residential life and housing. His research includes measuring student outcomes and environments (including living– learning programmes), staff burnout, residential curriculum, and first‑generation student support systems. He is also a reviewer of articles published in JSAA. Mr Shawn Stützner has over 19 years of experience in developing expert support processes with students and adults dealing with conflict and complex thinking patterns. He holds a master’s in Clinical Pastoral Care from Stellenbosch University. Specialising in HIV/AIDS, he assists in therapeutically improving the participation of disadvantaged individuals and groups of networks through a praxis of hope in promoting human dignity. Guiding learners and professionals struggling with inappropriate worldviews, behaviour and attitudes, he takes a restorative approach towards purposefulness and responsible living 134 regarding norms and values. His recourses provide successful care, integration, mentoring, transformation, evaluative planning, emotional management, stress control and guiding well being amongst students and adults. He coordinates campus dialogues, providing initiatives related to social justice, social cohesion and social inclusion. Additionally, his dialogic engagement focuses specifically on symbols, systems, traditions, and patterns of behaviour as they relate to engagement amongst higher education students and companies from diverse social, cultural, political and economic backgrounds. Furthermore, he deals with complex diverse processes as they relate to stereotypes held amongst African tribal clashes, issues of identity, racism, cultural and religious diversity, gender issues, academic exclusion, and food insecurities. He has extensive experience in addressing health, well being, and quality of life in church organisations, companies, universities and therapeutic settings. Dr Chinaza Uleanya is a Postdoctoral Fellow and Researcher in the Department of Educational Management and Leadership at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Zululand, South Africa. Ms Fezile Wagner is a Researcher in the Analytics and Institutional Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa. She holds a BSc Hons (Microbiology), a BA Hons (Development Studies), an MAgr (Food Security), and is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Health. She has experience in leading research projects in the fields of food security, student success, higher education and mental health. Her research has culminated in both local and international peer‑reviewed journal publications and presentations at national and international conferences. Fezile is currently a co‑investigator on several active grants.