Year: 2011

Location, Location, Location…

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , ,

...  combined with the laws of supply and demand=a  small (53 m2/602 ft2) building in downtown Hanoi that recently sold for $2.3 million.    Where this charming Hanoi house once stood is now a pile of rubble.  On this site, at the intersection of Hang Bai and Hai Ba Trung streets in the Hoan Kiem District, which I pass … Continue reading Location, Location, Location…

2nd Annual Fall StudyUSA Community College Fairs in Vietnam

Mark A. Ashwill Announcement , ,

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) – Nha Trang (New!) – Danang – Hanoi October 2-8, 2011 Capstone Vietnam, a Hanoi-based human resource development company (small disclosure:  I'm the managing director) is pleased to announce the second annual StudyUSA Community College Fairs in Vietnam.  Vietnam ranks 8th, according to the March 2011 SEVIS By the Numbers quarterly … Continue reading 2nd Annual Fall StudyUSA Community College Fairs in Vietnam

TV Show About US Community Colleges & High School Completion Programs

Mark A. Ashwill Updates , ,

On 9 July Thalia Saplad, executive director of international programs at Shoreline Community College (SCC) in Washington (state) and Nguyen Minh Huy, who just graduated from Shoreline and is headed for Seattle University this fall, were interviewed by the host of HTV's popular Study Abroad Window (Cửa Sổ Du Học), Ha Quyen, about US community colleges, high school … Continue reading TV Show About US Community Colleges & High School Completion Programs

Summer 2011 Update: Despite Economic Instability, Things Are Looking Up in Vietnam

Mark A. Ashwill Updates , ,

This summer 2011 update is from Vietnomics , a global sourcing consultancy that links US and Vietnamese investors and companies.  Thanks, Jeff! Summary Still reeling from the 2009 global recession, Vietnam’s economy has been challenged in the first half of this year.  Businesses are coping with runaway inflation, high interest rates, an increasingly unsettled workforce, and inadequate … Continue reading Summer 2011 Update: Despite Economic Instability, Things Are Looking Up in Vietnam

O Canada! One of the Hottest Destinations for Overseas Study

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , , ,

Canada  permits graduates of public postsecondary institutions and degree programs at private institutions to work for up to three years, depending upon the length of their program of study.  The government has also created an immigration program specifically for international graduates known as the Canadian Experience Class.  Graduates with a Canadian degree and/or work experience … Continue reading O Canada! One of the Hottest Destinations for Overseas Study

Trần Mạnh Tuấn: Bridging Cultural & Musical Worlds

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates ,

Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.  (Confucius) This is a post about music, a saxophonist par excellence, and one of Vietnam’s finest musicians - a man who has taken full advantage of the opportunity to attend a world-class music college, indulge his passion for jazz and pursue his dream … Continue reading Trần Mạnh Tuấn: Bridging Cultural & Musical Worlds

VietAbroader Summer Study Abroad Conferences: Passing of the Torch

Mark A. Ashwill Announcement, Conferences , , , ,

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 … Continue reading VietAbroader Summer Study Abroad Conferences: Passing of the Torch

Reality Check/When One Government Speaks with Two Voices

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , ,

Below is my response to a 23 June Chronicle of Higher Education article by Beth McMurtrie entitled Colleges Are Warned Against a 'Gold Rush' Pursuit of International Studentsabout how to better promote American higher education abroad, discussed at a recent three-day EducationUSA conference. This may be difficult to comprehend in Washington, D.C. and its corridors of power (e.g., the … Continue reading Reality Check/When One Government Speaks with Two Voices

Honor by Association?

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary ,

A recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education entitled U. of Wales’s Vetting of Overseas Partners Questioned does not come as a surprise.  The Welsh Education Minister, Leighton Andrews, who initiated the inquiry, was quoted as saying the university must "move quickly" to address the shortcomings.  "The present situation cannot be allowed to continue. The reputation … Continue reading Honor by Association?

Letting in the Fresh Air and the Flies: The Mixed Impact of US Higher Education on Vietnam

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , , , , , , ,

Among the growing number of US universities and colleges that have acknowledged Vietnam as a promising market for student recruitment, online and in-country education and training programs (among other activities), most are well-intentioned and accredited. Others, however, see a golden opportunity to reap substantial profits from a market that has rosy long-term prospects. The bittersweet … Continue reading Letting in the Fresh Air and the Flies: The Mixed Impact of US Higher Education on Vietnam