Author: Mark A. Ashwill

Nationally Accredited U.S. Institutions with a Vietnam Connection

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , ,

Below is a list of thirteen (13) known nationally accredited U.S.-based institutions operating in Vietnam, many in cooperation with a local partner. For the record, national accreditation (NA) is not comparable to regional accreditation (RA), which is generally considered to be the "gold standard" of higher education accreditation in the U.S. If you're interested in learning more about the differences … Continue reading Nationally Accredited U.S. Institutions with a Vietnam Connection

The bad stories in the education sector in 2011

Mark A. Ashwill Articles , ,

Never a dull moment in Vietnamese education.  Check out the bad stories in the education sector in 2011, including "bad behaviors of teachers, problematic students’ morality, and the 'achievement disease.'"  The excerpts below were taken from an article with the same name.    The bad behaviors of teachers On May 13, Trieu Ngoc Diem, a primary school … Continue reading The bad stories in the education sector in 2011

Winter 2012 Update: Vietnam’s Mixed Messages Sideline Foreign Investors

Mark A. Ashwill Updates , , ,

This winter 2012 update is from Vietnomics, a global sourcing consultancy that links US and Vietnamese investors and companies.  Thanks, Jeff!  Summary Vietnam begins 2012 at a crossroads and needs meaningful reforms to complete the transition to a market economy that it started a generation ago.  At times, the country seems to be moving decisively toward … Continue reading Winter 2012 Update: Vietnam’s Mixed Messages Sideline Foreign Investors

Online Survey: Your Institution & Vietnam

Mark A. Ashwill Survey

I developed a brief (10 question) survey on SurveyMonkey for regionally accredited US colleges and universities that have incorporated, or are beginning to incorporate, Vietnam into their internationalization strategies.  This includes student recruitment and a variety of other activities, current or planned.  I intend to share the overall results with everyone who participates.  Personal information will be kept … Continue reading Online Survey: Your Institution & Vietnam

“Rising numbers of Vietnamese study abroad”

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Updates , , ,

This Ministry of Education and Training report, hot off the press, confirms my estimate of the number of young Vietnamese studying overseas.  Since 90% are self-financing, this means that over a billion dollars are being invested each year in overseas education.  That's nearly 1% of the country's 2011 GDP.  (Stay tuned for a later post that attempts … Continue reading “Rising numbers of Vietnamese study abroad”

SEVIS General Summary Quarterly Review: December 2011

Mark A. Ashwill Updates , ,

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. On 31 December 2011, SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) contained records for 1,158,059 active nonimmigrant students, exchange visitors, and their dependents. The total number of records for all F-1, M-1, and … Continue reading SEVIS General Summary Quarterly Review: December 2011

“California Leads Nation in Unaccredited Schools, and Enforcement Is Lax”

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Updates , , , , ,

Check out this excellent article by investigative reporter Jennifer Gollan about Frederick Taylor University (FTU), which I've written about on these hallowed pages and which appears on my list of US-based unaccredited schools.  FTU has been quite active in Vietnam in recent years and therefore a substantial source of revenue for this state-approved rogue provider.  Knowing … Continue reading “California Leads Nation in Unaccredited Schools, and Enforcement Is Lax”

Hieu’s Story: The Next Chapter

Mark A. Ashwill Announcement, Commentary , ,

Some of you may recall my 26 November blog post about Nguyen Trung Hieu, an 11th grader at the Hanoi-Amsterdam School for the Gifted, whose literature class assignment somehow found its way onto the Internet, where it has touched the hearts of millions and spurred an outpouring of support.  A Dream Fulfilled Shortly after Hieu’s … Continue reading Hieu’s Story: The Next Chapter