They Hate US ‘Cause They Ain’t US!

26/08/202228/08/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary american dream, debt, economic inequality, freedumb, functional illiteracy, incarceration rate, united states of america, us nationalism, USA

Here's my latest essay for CounterPunch. Here's the first paragraph to whet your appetite for more (or not). Note: 17 minute read. During a recent trip to Boston, I saw this delusional expression screaming at me in large red, white, and blue letters from the side of a passing cement truck. For the uninitiated, it’s … Continue reading They Hate US ‘Cause They Ain’t US!

If You See Something, Say Something

23/08/202223/08/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary if you see something say something, life in the USA, quality of life in the USA

Here's my latest piece for CounterPunch. If you like the intro, read on. If not, that's OK, too. 😊 Photograph Source: istolethetv – CC BY 2.0 It is well-known that the US is a divided and conflict-ridden society that is fraying at the seams on so many levels. From the homeless in Denver, fellow human beings … Continue reading If You See Something, Say Something

Vietnamese Students Discover Norway

22/08/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates overseas study, study in norway, Vietnamese students

Norsk natur (Credit: Study in Norway) Thanks to a colleague at the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, I learned more about how many Vietnamese students are pursuing higher education in Norway and in which fields. While the numbers are modest compared to the top 15 overseas destinations, you can see gradual increases from … Continue reading Vietnamese Students Discover Norway

US Immigrant Visas in Vietnam: 2012-2021

18/08/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary emigration, immigrant visas, immigration, live in the usa

With a Vietnamese American population of over 2 million in the US, the "grass is greener" view is still powerful among many Vietnamese with relatives there. Here are the numbers from 2012 to 2021. 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 24,133 23,424 24,489 27,391 32,970 28,719 28,701 32,867 20,230 10,458 The … Continue reading US Immigrant Visas in Vietnam: 2012-2021

US Visa Trends in Vietnam

16/08/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates f-1, student visa, study in the USA, vietnam

Here's an overview of F-1 visa issuances in Vietnam for the past 24 years in graph and numerical format. The gradual and then rapid growth in the number of student visas issued to young Vietnamese is a partial reflection of the expansion of Vietnam's economy and family ability to pay. In the early days, many … Continue reading US Visa Trends in Vietnam

Cheating Without Borders

15/08/202221/08/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary business ethics, capstone educational consulting, cheating without borders, copycat companies, Myanmar, success without integrity is failure

As seen on Capstone Educational Consulting's Facebook page. The logo looks it was created by a free online logo generator. Love the color, too: shades of baby puke green. I recently came across Capstone Educational Consulting, a company in Myanmar with a familiar-sounding name. As their website points out, the company was founded "with the … Continue reading Cheating Without Borders

FY2022 US Student Visa Trends in Vietnam

11/08/202211/08/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary sevis updates, study in the USA, Vietnamese students

For those of you who follow these trends, i.e., recruitment colleagues, here's the picture so far for FY2022 in ascending chronological order. October 2021: 178 (HCMC); 60 (Hanoi) November 2021: 388 (HCMC); 121 (Hanoi) December 2021: 249 (HCMC); 231 (Hanoi January 2022: 168 (HCMC); 87 (Hanoi) February 2022: 87 (HCMC); 28 (Hanoi) March 2022: 115 (HCMC); 47 … Continue reading FY2022 US Student Visa Trends in Vietnam

Business as Usual at Fulbright University Vietnam

04/08/202207/08/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary bob kerrey, fulbright university vietnam, FUV, history, USA, vietnam, war criminal

Do As We Say, Not As We Do I was checking my LinkedIn feed and noticed a Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) post about its new partnership with Columbia University. The phrase that jumped off the screen was Understand the Past, which I happen to take seriously. Thinking about the ill-fated appointment of self-confessed war criminal … Continue reading Business as Usual at Fulbright University Vietnam

Telling Truth in All its Complexity

03/08/202203/08/2022 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary brown university, genealogy, obadiah holmes, slave trade, vergangenheitsbewältigung

When I mentioned to an acquaintance in the southern U.S. state of Georgia that I shared some strands of DNA with a family of slaveowners there, he replied that I am "living proof of evolution to a higher state of being!" While that simple truth put a smile on my face, it also offers a … Continue reading Telling Truth in All its Complexity

American University of Science Sets Up Shop in Vietnam

01/08/202218/12/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary american university of science, rogue provider, unaccredited universities, vietnam

Gotta love the homepage video of an older white guy with a long flowing beard and three studs in his left ear dressed in a lab coat and goggles in one scene, young female assistant and all, and solo in a gray jacket in another. I guess he's supposed to represent a stereotypical intellectual and … Continue reading American University of Science Sets Up Shop in Vietnam

An International Educator in Vietnam

Information, Insights & (Frequently) Intrigue

Author: Mark A. Ashwill