Building Partnerships in Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges for the U.S. and Vietnam

Below is an excerpt from the report of the 3rd Education Conference, held on January 14–15, 2010 at the Melia Hotel in Hanoi.  Follow this link to download the conference report. (689 KB, PDF) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Education Conference – organized by the U.S. Mission in Vietnam, Vietnam National University, Hanoi and the Ministry of Education and Training – brought together … Continue reading Building Partnerships in Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges for the U.S. and Vietnam

Vietnam: A Rising Star on the U.S. Higher Education Scene

A warm welcome to clients and members of World Education Services (WES) who may be visiting after reading my feature article on the WES website.  Nick Clark, editor of World Education News & Reviews (WENR) also wrote an informative piece entitled Higher Education in Vietnam: Student Growth, Faculty Shortages and International Partnerships.  Note:  You have to … Continue reading Vietnam: A Rising Star on the U.S. Higher Education Scene

What A Difference a Month Can Make: Rogue Providers & the Power of the Press

Some of you may recall that I posted a  list of unaccredited US-based/affiliated higher education providers in early July.   The purpose of the list is simple:  to educate "consumers" of US and other foreign higher education so that they can make an informed decision about the value of the education and training being offered.  (I did … Continue reading What A Difference a Month Can Make: Rogue Providers & the Power of the Press

“US education co-operation brings positive changes”

A good interview with Steve Maxner, chairman of the board of directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF), which appeared in the 19 July 2010 issue of the English language daily, Viet Nam News.  (Dr. Maxner is also director of the Vietnam Center at Texas Tech University.) A little-known fact about the origins of the … Continue reading “US education co-operation brings positive changes”

Terms People Use to Stumble Upon Your Blog…

When I look at my stats to see how many thousands of people are reading my blog day in and day out (ok, I'm exaggerating :-)), one of the items that appears is "Search Engine Terms," defined very straightforwardly by WordPress as "terms people used to find your blog."  It gives me an impressionistic view … Continue reading Terms People Use to Stumble Upon Your Blog…

In Retrospect: The 1st Alumni Conference for US-Educated Vietnamese

It was just over a year ago (i.e., 25 July 2009) that the first ever alumni conference for US-educated Vietnamese was held in Ho Chi Minh City.  The conference announcement stated that "This historic conference will bring together Vietnamese alumni of regionally accredited US colleges and universities in order to learn about and celebrate their many achievements, … Continue reading In Retrospect: The 1st Alumni Conference for US-Educated Vietnamese

TEDxSaigon 2010 — 3D: Dream, Diversity and Development

Dear Idea, My name is Saigon. I’ve grown up from war, and over the past decade, my economic growth has been quite compelling, compared with other cities in Vietnam, as well as neighboring countries - which is accompanied by increasing income inequalities, friction between consumption choices, difference in cultural identities, and loosened social ties. However, … Continue reading TEDxSaigon 2010 — 3D: Dream, Diversity and Development

Beware of Accreditation Mills

Some unaccredited universities and colleges, including a few that enroll Vietnamese students, claim to be accredited.  This is an attempt to persuade prospective students that they are legitimate, thereby increasing their enrollment and revenue.  One example is Atlantic International University (AIU) in Hawaii, which states on its website that it is "accredited" by Accrediting Commission International (ACI).  In … Continue reading Beware of Accreditation Mills

“More Vietnamese students to be gifted by 2020”

This is one of my favorite recent headlines in the English language media here.  Is it something in the water?  A more liberal definition of "gifted"?  At any rate, the plan is to build at least one high school for gifted students in each city/province with the goal of placing about 2% of high school students … Continue reading “More Vietnamese students to be gifted by 2020”

SEVIS By The Numbers: June 2010 Snapshot

This quarterly report (PDF) is a statistical breakdown of the system's performance and trends in foreign student representation in U.S. academic and exchange programs.  As of 30 June 2010, SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) contained records for 1,084,122 active nonimmigrant students, exchange visitors, and their dependents.  The total number of records for all … Continue reading SEVIS By The Numbers: June 2010 Snapshot