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International Student Recruitment: 2+2 Equals Success

09/03/2013

For those with an interest in international student recruitment and the 2+2 formula that has become so popular in recent years (2 years at a US community college + 2 years at a four-year college or university equals a bachelor’s degree), you might want to follow this blog and participate in the on- and offline discussion.  It’s related to a general session entitled International Student Recruitment: 2+2 Equals Success (session abstract below) that will be offered at the 2013 annual conference of NAFSA:  Association of International Educators in late May in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.  Join me and my distinguished colleagues and co-presenters:  Judy Irwin, Connect Globally, (chair), Maria Hesse, Arizona State University, and Ross Jennings, Green River Community College (WA).   

2+2

Because the goal of most international students enrolled at U.S. community colleges is a bachelor’s degree, it has become imperative that two-year and four-year institutions engage in joint recruiting and marketing activities. This session focuses on the advantages and benefits, from institutional, student, and field perspectives, to promoting such a package.

Note:  The above image is one that my company uses to promote the 2+2 concept in Vietnam.  2 years at a community college + 2 years at a university (or four-year college) = a diploma.

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VietAbroader Summer 2013 “Passing of the Torch” Conferences

17/02/2013
 
Here’s a note I recently sent to US higher education colleagues about the 2013 VietAbroader summer study abroad conferences and related institutional sponsorship opportunities: 
 
With staff & interns at the 2011 VAC in Hanoi.

With staff & interns at the 2011 VAC in Hanoi.

Warm greetings from Vietnam!  I am writing to let you know about an outstanding sponsorship opportunity:  the 2013 VietAbroader (VA) Passing of the Torch Summer Study Abroad Conferences.  This is a great chance to gain maximum exposure both at the conferences and in the media.  I am honored to serve as one of two VietAbroader advisers, a position I have held almost since the founding of the organization in 2004.  Capstone Vietnam has been a proud corporate sponsor in recent years. 

VietAbroader is a student-run, nonprofit that provides Vietnamese students with training and guidance to encourage them to study abroad, primarily in the United States.  The VA Study Abroad Conferences (VAC), the organization’s flagship program, were launched in 2005.  I had the honor of speaking at the first Hanoi conference.Every year, I help VA’s leadership reach out to potential institutional sponsors.  Why should US colleges and universities that welcome Vietnamese students to their campuses consider becoming a sponsor of the VAC?  Because it’s one of the hottest and most widely publicized events of its kind, and will help you brand and market your school to a very targeted audience.
 

Then US Ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Michalak, and I after delivering introductory remarks at the 2009 VAC in Hanoi.

Then US Ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Michalak, and I after delivering introductory remarks at the 2009 VAC in Hanoi.

The conferences include morning seminars that provide prescreened attendees with general information about U.S. education, and fairs in the afternoon that are free and open to the public, where students and parents can meet face-to-face with students, alumni and official representatives of more than 80 top U.S. schools.  This year, the conferences will be held on Saturday, July 20th in Ho Chi Minh City and Sunday, July 21st in Hanoi.

There is always a lot of interest in these events, so please let me know as soon as possible if you’d like to become an institutional sponsor.  I’d be happy to send you PDF copies of the conference proposal and an overview of institutional benefits, as well as introduce you to the conference organizers.  For your information, there are five levels of sponsorship, including Diamond (maximum of 3 sponsors), Platinum (4), Gold (5), Silver (N/A) and Bronze (N/A).

MAA 

Note:  To access information about the summer 2012 VACs, including sponsors and a list of fair participants, follow this link. 
 
P.S.:  When I joined the VietAbroader forum in March 2004, there were a few hundred members.  As of 7 February, there were 56,520 (!). 

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Top Ten Sending Countries & GDP: Vietnam’s Story

12/06/2012

Below is a PPT slide that I used in a recent presentation at the NAFSA annual conference in Houston, TX entitled Beyond Education Agents:  An Introduction to Diversifying International Student Recruitment Strategy.  The slide presents a comparison of the top ten sending countries, according to the latest (March 2012) quarterly update from the US Department of Homeland Security, their 2011 GDP and their ranking in that category.  (SEVIS data include students enrolled at all levels.)  Given Vietnam’s recent history (e.g., war, poverty, isolation), the fact that it ranks 8th among all countries sending students to the US is an extraordinary achievement. 

 

As you can see, Vietnam jumps off of the screen with a GDP of $299 billion and a world ranking of 43rd, making it by far the poorest country among its peers.  These statistics reveal the following:

  1. the cultural value of education;
  2. the importance of making significant investments in education both in Vietnam and abroad;
  3. the disproportionate amount of income that Vietnamese parents spend on their children’s education; and
  4. the positive prospects for continued growth. 

MAA

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Beyond Education Agents

24/05/2012

An Introduction to Diversifying International Student Recruitment Strategy

I’m looking forward to moderating and contributing to this general session at the NAFSA 2012  Annual Conference & Expo during the last week of May in Houston, Texas (USA).  The session is neither a rejection nor a condemnation of the use of education agents, a sometimes problematic approach to international student recruitment, but rather a recognition that schools that are serious about recruitment need to be proactive and take advantage of opportunities to brand and market themselves, especially in highly competitive markets.  They also need to be open to alternative forms of representation. 

Description:  Agency-based international student recruitment has been a hot topic of discussion in recent years. Panelists present effective and proactive alternatives to the use of education agents, including marketing and promotion campaigns and various types of non-agent-based overseas representation in India, Vietnam, and other highly competitive countries.

The session (GS-126) will take place from 2-3:15 p.m. on Thursday, 31 May 2012 in Room 350 DEF of the George R. Brown Convention Center

For more information, including the names and affiliations of the other presenters, check out the description on this conference website.  I’ve also created a session blog that will be used before and, especially, after the conference.  My fellow panelists, who represent a private sector company working in higher education, a community college and a state university, and I are excited about this opportunity to learn from our colleagues and for them to learn from each other. 

MAA

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VietAbroader Summer Study Abroad Conferences: Passing of the Torch

02/07/2011

Capstone Vietnam, of which I’m managing director, is pleased and proud to be a corporate sponsor of the 2011 VietAbroader Study Abroad Conferences (VAC) on 15 and 16 July in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Hanoi, respectively.  VAC, the flagship program of VietAbroader (VA), was first organized in the summer of 2005.  (I had the privilege of speaking at the Hanoi conference.)  In addition to general information about U.S. education using a highly interactive format (e.g., students learning from peers in whose foosteps they hope to follow) participants can learn about specific schools and scholarship programs through the school fair in the afternoon.  Some colleges also offer on-site interviews and info sessions for students.  Check out this VA press release for more information. 

Last year, each conference attracted about 250 participants in the morning.  They were selected from among 1,600 applicants.  More than 1,000 people attended each of the afternoon school fairs in which 50 top U.S. colleges and universities were represented. 

As one of two VA advisers, I have been involved with this outstanding student-run, non-profit organization almost since its founding.  In my opinion, VA, which now boasts over 30,000 members, has done more than any other entity in Vietnam to educate young people and their parents about study opportunities in the US and other countries.  From its humble beginnings as an online forum to its current status as a full-fledged organization, VietAbroader has helped thousands of young Vietnamese through a breathtaking array of activities in the virtual and physical worlds in both Vietnam and the US.  VA and its team of student/alumni volunteers are always looking for new and innovative ways to fulfill its mission of empowering Vietnamese youth to contribute to the sustainable development of Vietnam. 

Postscript:  I would like to thank my US higher education colleagues for their generous institutional sponsorship and support of these exciting, high-quality, and truly worthwhile conferences. 

MAA

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NAFSA 2011 Annual Conference in Vancouver

27/05/2011

 

I’ve been invited to participate in a Global Partner Session entitled Bringing the World to Your Campus: Integrating Virtual Student Fairs into Your Recruitment Strategies, sponsored by Hobsons.  The panel discussion will be held on Wednesday, 1 June from 1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m. in West Room 220, Vancouver Convention Centre.  I’ll speak about Capstone Vietnam’s partnership with Hobsons and the March 2011 Virtual Student Fair (VSF) in Vietnam. 

Later that afternoon, I’ll participate in an Open House on Institutional Placement for Vietnamese Students, sponsored by Access American Education (AAE).  It takes place from4-6 p.m. in the Burrard Suite at The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel.  Highlights of the event are as follows: 

4 p.m.:          Q&A with Mitch Leventhal, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, State University of New York ( SUNY), and  Founder of the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC); and Institution & Agent Partnership,  Matt Scranton,  Associate Director, International Undergraduate Admissions, Drexel University

5 p.m.:             Why Vietnam?  Mark A. Ashwill, Managing Director, Capstone Vietnam

MAA

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The Fourth Education Conference

19/04/2011

I recently joined several hundred other attendees at the 4th Education Conference on 9 April in Hanoi, organized by the US Embassy, the Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF), the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and National Economics University (NEU).  Sponsors included the Henry Luce Foundation, the Vietnam Center at Texas Tech University, Johnson & Johnson, USAID, Pepsico, Citibank and Intel.

These conferences, each with a somewhat different emphasis, were initiated in 2008 by Ambassador Michael Michalak. (Look under Documents for links to the conference reports from January 2008-10.) 

This year’s conference, entitled Strengthening US-Vietnam Higher Education Ties, included a group of US higher education colleagues who were participants in the US Department of Commerce’s first ever education trade mission to Indonesia and Vietnam. For information, check out this Chronicle of Higher Education article from 3 April entitled Commerce Dept. Takes Greater Role in Promoting U.S. Higher Education Overseas (PDF download) and a commentary entitled No Better Export: Higher Education by Francisco Sánchez, under secretary for international trade at the U.S. Commerce Department, who accompanied the group.

Feedback

I asked a number of attendees, including presenters and moderators, how they felt about the conference. The consensus seemed to be that it was not as engaging as previous conferences and that there was too much rehashing, a paucity of new ideas and a lack of information-sharing about new and exciting projects. It might be helpful to provide the presenters with detailed guidelines and to ask the moderators to provide “their” presenters with advice and guidance regarding their presentations. One presenter told me that he “felt that the organization of my particular session was fairly haphazard, with little direction, and it would be great if we could actually get something meaningful out of the discussions and presentations next year.”

Some others had this to say:  

  • the same stuff over and over again…
  • I sensed more head hunting for students and action than true forming of relationships
  • what is it that we can relocate that is so special?
  • what’s being done at a German or US or whatever university located in VN that could not, if there were the will, be done in a VN institution?
  • a good place to meet friends – networking probably the biggest role
  • hopefully, someday they will think about the format and try to find something productive
  • I sensed a lot of presenters dusted off off what they had on their desktop, changed the title to try to make it fit into the session subject and gave that presentation
  • needs more lead time and invite people who really have something to say

Food for thought in 2012, assuming there will be a 5th education conference.

There were also some Americans who relish the role of cultural missionary and never seem to tire of lecturing the Vietnamese on what they should do to improve their higher education system.  

One of the more interesting  presentations was the keynote speech entitled Five Observations About American Higher Education and Their Implications for Vietnam (PDF download) delivered by Kathryn Mohrman, Director, University Design Consortium and Professor, School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona USA.  The observations were:

  1. American higher education is a combination of English and German models
  2. U.S. colleges and universities have unique ideals for undergraduate education
  3. American higher education has strong links to society
  4. American colleges and universities are becoming increasingly interdisciplinary
  5. U.S. colleges and universities have significant autonomy

It might also have been useful to include some observations about US higher education as a negative role model – learn from its mistakes and shortcomings.

One of the more informative and relevant presentations was Cultivating Leaders for the Vietnamese Private Sector: A Case Study from the University of Hawaii’s Vietnam Executive MBA Program in HCMC (PDF download) by Lillian Forsyth.

Postscript (20.4.11):  The Fourth Education Conference Evaluation was sent out to all participants today.

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VietAbroader Conference 2011: Passing of the Torch

29/03/2011

 

Mark your calendars!  VietAbroader’s annual summer study abroad conferences will take place this year in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) on Friday, 15 July and in Hanoi on Saturday, 16 July. 

In the spirit of mentorship and social responsibility,  the VietAbroader Study Abroad Conference (VAC), entitled “Passing of the Torch,” was first launched in 2005 to empower high potential Vietnamese students to realize their dreams of overseas study.  The conference comprises different workshops regarding the US university application process and college life, together with a College Fair attended by more than fifty US colleges and universities. Following the successes of VAC 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010, this year VAC 2011 strives to carry on the tradition, to build the bridge between Vietnamese students and American colleges and universities.

Memo to US Higher Education Colleagues:  This is one of the marquee events for Vietnamese students and parents with an interest in studying in the USA organized by the premier student-run organization in the field.  In addition to all of the benefits for the attendees, the conferences offer unparalleled sponsorship opportunities for US colleges and universities.  There are also sponsorship opportunities for companies.  For more information, check out these PDF files: 

VietAbroader Study Abroad Conference 2010 Post-Conference Report (1.43 Mb)

VAC 2011 Institutional Sponsor Proposal (7.42 Mb)

VAC 2011 Institutional Benefits (179 Kb)

VAC 2011 Corporate Benefits (182 Kb)

Below are some excerpts from the participants’ response section of the 2010 post-conference report… 

VietAbroader’s strongest asset has always been its close-knit and dedicated student community. VAC 2010 continued to build on this tradition. We attracted more than 1600 applications to attend our conferences, and 500 participants from over 30 high schools in Viet Nam were selected based on their strong academic foundations, leadership potential, and openness to learning.

In order to find out areas for improvement, so that successive conferences will be better run, more relevant, and more engaging, we prepared an online survey form to sent out to all participants. Of more than 500 participants who attend the conferences, 417 replied.

We asked them to score our conference on a rank of 100, breaking into 10 sections. The average score is 79 – with a lowest score of 70 and highest 91.

Participants registered high satisfaction with our staffs and guest speakers, with an average score of 8.3 for helpfulness of the organizers and 8.2 for knowledge of the guest speakers. Participants were impressed with the new changes in this year’s conferences, especially the new mentor-mentee system, the community college talk show, and the new room for those who have had basic information about studying in the U.S.

Most remarkably, almost all participants responded that VAC 2010 helped inspired them to pursue higher education in the U.S., with a score of 8.8 in that section. A record high of 96.3% of participants indicated that they would recommend next year’s VAC for their friends.

Below are some feedbacks from our participants in the survey:

“The organizers are very approachable and friendly. Even though the conference was behind schedule, the organizers’ enthusiasm more than made up for it.”

“I really like VietAbroader Conference because it is by far the most interactive of all study abroad conferences I have attended. The new room for students who have had basic information about studying abroad is particularly helpful, especially the essay counseling session. Thanks to it I now have the answers for writing essays which I have had for so long.”

“I like how the organizers have extended the community college talk show to those who cannot attend the first one. It showed their dedication and care for the participants. All of the guest speakers are great!”

Disclosure:  I’m one of VietAbroader’s advisers. 

Please feel free to email me at markashwill(AT)capstonevietnam.com for more information.

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4th Annual Education Conference: Cementing Cooperation & Overcoming Obstacles to U.S.-Vietnam Education Partnerships

18/02/2011

The US Embassy in Vietnam and the Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF) have officially announced the Fourth Annual Education Conference to be held April 9, 2011 in Hanoi.  The purpose of this conference is to bring together American and Vietnamese universities, colleges, companies and NGOs active in higher education in Vietnam to discuss how to increase U.S. educational opportunities in Vietnam; how to encourage external partnerships for universities; and how to promote U.S. style higher education in Vietnam. 

 This is the latest in a series of annual education conferences started in 2008 by former Ambassador Michael Michalak.  It will be the first one presided over by his successor, Ambassador David Shear.   Unlike the previous two conferences, it doesn’t look as if the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) will play a formal role as a conference co-organizer.   USAID, which has become increasing active in the education sector in recent years, is a sponsor. 

 Conference Topics

Increasing U.S. Educational Opportunities in Vietnam

  • Establishing a Welcoming Environment for U.S. Students
  • Attracting more U.S. Scholars to Vietnam: Why aren’t they coming?
  • Faculty Development: Creating a Framework for Success

External Partnerships: Universities as Partners and Producers

  • Linking Education to Research and Entrepreneurship
  • From Classroom to Boardroom: Developing Employable Graduates for the Private Sector
  • Creating the Conditions to Succeed: a Transparent and Consistent Environment for Partnerships

U.S. Style Higher Education: What is it? How do we create it in Vietnam?

  • American–style University Governance
  • Teaching and Curriculum
  • Accreditation: Standards and Quality Assurance

You can log into the conference website with your own email and password to have future access to your personal data.  In addition to registering for the conference, there are opportunities to present a paper as part of a panel discussion.  In order to be considered as a panel participant, prepare an abstract of your proposed paper and submit via the conference website.  The deadline for submitting an abstract of your proposed paper is February 28.  If you are interested in attending the conference but do not want to present a paper, the registration deadline is March 11, 2011. 

As Elisabet Garriga, Conference Coordinator, mentioned in her e-mail to prospective participants, space is limited for this conference:  “As our conference will be a platform for policy discussion and for formulating recommendations for the Vietnamese government and U.S. education partners, priority must be given to participants who have relevant experience in establishing education partnerships in Vietnam and other countries.  Decisions regarding participant selection will be made as quickly as possible.” 

For more information, contact Elisabet Garriga, Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy, Hanoi, Tel (84-4) 3850-5196, Cell (84-4) 90-400-8657, Fax (84-4) 3850-5120, GarrigaE @ state.gov.

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AIESEC “Developing Leaders” Conference

17/01/2011

 

“Hey, AIESEC!  What’s up?” :-)    Yesterday, I had the pleasure of participating in a panel discussion that focused on How to Be Successful in Your Career Path at the national AIESEC conference on a chilly morning in Hanoi.  Below are some notes that I promised to post on my blog.

A word about AIESEC…  It’s the world’s largest student-run organization. Active in over 1700 universities across more than 107 countries and territories, its international platform enables young people to explore and develop their leadership potential for them to have a positive impact in society.  AIESEC has chapters in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). 

Food for Thought

  • The three grand essentials of happiness are: Something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for. (Alexander Chalmers)
  • “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”  (Confucius)
  • Work is love made visible. (Khalil Gibran)

Career Success

Career success is connected to matching abilities and interests to the task.  Studies have shown that job success is connected to personality traits.  Dr. William Revelle, a Northwestern University (Evanston, IL, USA) professor who specializes in personality research.

 

How To Choose a Major/Career:  ????

What do you enjoy? (interests)

What are you good at? (abilities)

What do you value/find rewarding?

What are your goals?

Pursuing Money Alone Isn’t Enough to Make You Rich  

Q:  You’ve trained over 500,000 people and written 11 books on the secrets of your success. If you had just one sentence, could you summarise the secret of your success?

A:  I would say “it’s all about loving what you do… and doing the very best you can in that field.

I think everyone can be successful, but they have to discover what they are special at, what they love to do and really focus on improving it every single day.

Adam Khoo, Singaporean entrepreneur, best-selling author and leading motivational speaker

Commencement Speech at Stanford University – Steve Jobs (12 June 2005)

You have to trust in something–your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever–because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.

Video:  How To Live Before You Die

Transcript & Video 

Serendipity

Good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries

Learn to expect the unexpected!

Flow 

A composer describes those moments when his work is at its best:

You yourself are in an ecstatic state to such a point that you feel as though you almost don’t exist. I’ve experienced this time and again. My hand seems devoid of myself, and I have nothing to do with what is happening. I just sit there watching in a state of awe and wonderment. And it just flows out by itself.

CareerZones  

CareerZone New York:  The place to explore careers related to your strengths, skills and talents.

California CareerZone:    A new way to explore exciting jobs and occupations that the Golden State has to offer and to learn about what career path interests you. 

A FB Photo

Dr. Mark A. Ashwill

Managing Director & Founder, Capstone Vietnam

Former Country Director, IIE-Vietnam  

markashwill[AT]capstonevietnam.com

MAA

Making a point...

Extra: 

Study Guides & Strategies in English and Vietnamese.

From Baby Superstores to Vietnam – Paving Roads to a Better Life by Jack Tate (part I & II)

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