It was July 1967, another sultry Delaware summer. While I'm sure there were fun times (it was summer vacation after all), I can only remember heat, humidity, and a deep sadness that paralyzed my soul. Another memory is of the riots in cities across the US that I watched on the news from my safe … Continue reading Summer of Sorrow: A Tale of Two Fathers
Author: Mark A. Ashwill
Genocide in Gaza
I created a slideshow of injured, dying, displaced, and dead Palestinians set to Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings. It’s my way of reflecting on and processing the Israeli-planned and -executed carnage that is occurring in Gaza. Click on the image below to access the video. Follow this link to access the video on my Vimeo … Continue reading Genocide in Gaza
Rhetorical Checkmate
Source: Wikipedia LinkedIn is becoming like Facebook except I reserve non-business posts and comments for truly serious and literally existential issues like the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza. You can start with my comment followed by Johanna's indignant response, and my response to her response. Crickets after the latter. Like many, you'll notice she trots … Continue reading Rhetorical Checkmate
The Hustling Culture of International Education: Conference Sessions for Sale
Below is an article I pitched to a well-known international higher education media outlet that has published my work in the past. The initial answer was YES but later changed to NO. I did some checking using the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine and found that this company has taken advertising dollars from NAFSA. This is … Continue reading The Hustling Culture of International Education: Conference Sessions for Sale
Got the COVID Blues (Lord, Have Mercy on Me)
On another lighter note, I'm pleased to announce the release of a song I wrote during the pandemic. I had the music in my head and worked it out on a piano but never recorded it. This music is AI-generated. Not bad for a computer, eh? 😉 https://youtu.be/3k38yqbpfwM?si=0MZIwCQ7fJKLiGda Here's a direct link to the version … Continue reading Got the COVID Blues (Lord, Have Mercy on Me)
Capstone Fairs Are Coming to Town! 🇻🇳
All smiles after finishing the video. "That's a wrap!" It's true, I was a musician in another lifetime. The piano and a mellifluous baritone voice were my primary instruments. I also played a variety of others, including clarinet, flute, trombone, saxophone, etc. with varying degrees of proficiency and success. Among my many accolades, I was … Continue reading Capstone Fairs Are Coming to Town! 🇻🇳
I Had a Dream: From Vietnam to Gaza
A boy carries a humanitarian aid package provided by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees: UNRWA) in central Gaza City [Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP] “There is a price to pay for speaking the truth. There is a bigger price for living a lie.” – Cornel West I recently … Continue reading I Had a Dream: From Vietnam to Gaza
The Road Less Traveled
A Telling Tale from the World of Educational Entrepreneurship Credit: Christian Minimalism Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. -Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken I have a Ph.D. but I'm not a professor even though some people here call … Continue reading The Road Less Traveled
Happy 15th Birthday, Capstone Education!
Hanoi and HCMC staff off- and online after speeches and a party. Earlier this week, my staff and I celebrated our 15th anniversary. Here's a message I shared on Capstone's social media channels in text and video form. HCMC and Hanoi staff on- and offline after speeches and a party. On the auspicious occasion of … Continue reading Happy 15th Birthday, Capstone Education!
Lies, damned lies and statistics: Overseas study edition
Here's the original version of an article I wrote for University World News. Mark A Ashwill 20 July 2024 “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Mark Twain As someone whose tagline is “an academic by training and an international … Continue reading Lies, damned lies and statistics: Overseas study edition
An International Educator in Vietnam 
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