Emmanuel Ntow’s office is easily one of the busiest on campus. It’s fairly common to have students either waiting outside the office or catching him off-guard on his way to lunch or a meeting — perhaps unsurprisingly so.
He runs the Academic Advising office at Ashesi.
A little over a year ago, Ashesi officially set up an office to cater for Academic counselling. Set up within the Coaching and Counselling department, the office provides tailored academic support and coaching to help students develop and maintain balance over their journey at Ashesi. We caught up with Emmanuel to get a better sense of how this unit is helping students at Ashesi succeed academically while enjoying an all-round university experience.
How do you perceive your work with students?
Emmanuel: The essence of the Academic Advising Unit at its inception was to ensure that help would be provided to students who fall behind in the course of their academic journey. This is exactly what we have been making progress on in the past year and three months. The ultimate goal is to help students proactively navigate their way through the academic journey and overcome any blockers in their journey here.
What is a typical day in your office like?
Emmanuel: I usually see an average of 20-40 students a day, explaining policies to them and helping them understand what they need to do to stay on track. I also have regular meetings with faculty and Academic Programme Heads, to support any policy revisions that strengthen the academic climate on campus. We re-introduced a “late drop policy” for example – a great decision – which allows students to drop a course within eight weeks if they feel they are unable to cope with their academic load.
What are some successes in the unit you would like to share?
Emmanuel: In the past, we were seeing students who were not keeping up with their academic work quickly dropping into dismissal. We have been able to pay more attention to such students, providing counselling support, intentional academic advising, with an extra two semesters to get back on track. This strategy gives students an opportunity to recharge and get back on track to minimise the chances of a dismissal. As young adults students go through various issues, so it’s only safe to assume this of them and give them opportunities to recover.
What works best in terms of getting students to stay on track?
Emmanuel: The unit has done some inquiry on what works for students, and we learned that having a peer support system makes a big difference for struggling students. Students do better when they are taught – and held accountable for learning – by their friends. This is why a part of the work we do is to identify students who can serve as coaches to their peers, and pair them with students who have fallen behind. It is a win-win for both the student-tutor, and the tutee.
What motivates you to come to Ashesi every day?
Emmanuel: I believe our work is helping students thrive better at Ashesi, and better cope with the rigour here. Before this role, I worked as a registry officer. It was difficult to see students come in to check their grades and realise too late that they were failing out. I started spending some of my time with students and helping them reflect on ways to find balance in their campus experience. I am grateful that I now get to do this full time, as I see what this does for a lot of students. It is really satisfying.
