Author: Mark A. Ashwill

U.S. Visa Policy: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , ,

“Applicants must demonstrate that they properly meet student visa requirements.”  In other words, the onus is on the applicant to make her/his case and do it quickly.  The application fee of $140 and the SEVIS fee of $200 ensure a visa interview that usually lasts in the five-minute range.  As most of you probably know, the “big three” … Continue reading U.S. Visa Policy: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

VEF: From Vietnam With Money ($)

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , ,

In April 1997, during a three-day visit to Vietnam, then Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin announced that the Vietnamese government had agreed to repay the $146 million wartime debt of the former South Vietnam.  Four years earlier, Vietnam agreed in principle to assume the debt from its former enemy as part of a larger … Continue reading VEF: From Vietnam With Money ($)

About Comments

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary

Since An International Educator in Vietnam just celebrated its first anniversary, a word about comments is in order.  I appreciate (and "approve") most of the comments I receive because they contain useful information, valuable insights or a combination thereof.  There are some others that clearly fall into the "smart ass" or "smart aleck" category, defined by Merriam-Webster as an obnoxiously … Continue reading About Comments

“Students warned of rogue education providers”

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , , ,

This excellent article by Le Quynh Anh, which included an interview with me, appeared in the 18 November issue of the English language daily Viet Nam News.    Below is the unabridged version of that interview.  As the international educator, who has five years of experiences working in Vietnam, what are the reasons do you think behind … Continue reading “Students warned of rogue education providers”

Open Doors 2010

Mark A. Ashwill Reports, Updates ,

Yes, it’s that time of year again for those who work in the field of international educational exchange, especially as it relates to the U.S.  The annual international academic mobility report known as Open Doors is out with detailed information about international students and scholars in the U.S. and U.S. students abroad based on surveys conducted … Continue reading Open Doors 2010

Of Student Visas & Community Colleges

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , ,

Community colleges (CCs) continue to be the most popular entry point to U.S. higher education for Vietnamese students.  Vietnam ranks 2nd behind South Korea in international student enrollment at CCs and 80% of the student visas issued by the U.S. Consulate General are for CC-bound students, according to an official source.  That's the good news.  The bad news is … Continue reading Of Student Visas & Community Colleges

SEVIS By The Numbers: September 2010 Snapshot

Mark A. Ashwill Documents, 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.  As of 30 September 2010, SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) contained records for 1,164,691 active nonimmigrant students, exchange visitors, and their dependents.  The total number of records for all … Continue reading SEVIS By The Numbers: September 2010 Snapshot

In the News

Mark A. Ashwill Updates ,

Here are links to some recent education-related articles in Vietnam's English language media.  Most deal with issues related to vocational education & training and higher education quality.  Vocational credit to be transferable to colleges (3.11.10, Viet Nam News) With current mechanism, even Einstein would fail to become professor in VN (29.10.10, VietnamNet) Colleges lack quality facilities (27.10.10, Viet … Continue reading In the News

The Landon Carter Schmitt Memorial Fund: An Update

Mark A. Ashwill Updates

This is a follow-up to a late July post about the The Landon Carter Schmitt Memorial Fund.  To date the fund has raised $170,000 for the construction of The Landon Carter Schmitt School for Children with Visual Disabilities in Dong Ha, Quang Tri Province. For more information… Visit the Global Community Service Foundation website. Read this article entitled Starting with … Continue reading The Landon Carter Schmitt Memorial Fund: An Update