Author: Mark A. Ashwill

Teacher’s Damning Critique of US Educational System (& Society) Goes Viral

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary , ,

This is a Facebook post by Julie Marburger, a sixth-grade teacher at Cedar Creek Intermediate School near Austin, Texas, that went viral.  It reflects the views of many US American teachers and those who are aware of the extremely difficult conditions under which most work.  Her post was picked up by the Star-Telegram in Fort … Continue reading Teacher’s Damning Critique of US Educational System (& Society) Goes Viral

Direct Applications on the Rise

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While Viet Nam is still primarily an agent-driven market, growing numbers of students are beginning to bypass education agents and apply directly to educational institutions, especially for certain types of institutions and programs with simpler application procedures.  In some cases, more than 50% of all apps are directly from students. The reasons for this recent … Continue reading Direct Applications on the Rise

New Website: Recruit in Viet Nam

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Below is an announcement about a new website created by Capstone Vietnam, a full-service educational consulting company of which I'm managing director. Peace, MAA This website is intended to serve as a one-stop resource for student recruitment in Viet Nam for colleagues from all over the world.  It was inspired by a session that Dr. … Continue reading New Website: Recruit in Viet Nam

An Ode to International Student Recruiters

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One of the privileges and pleasures of my work is watching colleagues connect with young Vietnamese who are interested in overseas study, be it at a fair, coffee talk, info session, or individual meeting at a hotel.  Traveling to Viet Nam and other sending countries is still one of the most effective ways to recruit … Continue reading An Ode to International Student Recruiters

Catholicism, the Vietnamese Language, & Student Recruitment in Viet Nam

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , ,

NOTE:  Don't worry, dear reader, I will have connected the dots, more or less, by the end of this post.  🙂 Among the various legacies of French colonialism, loosely defined, including colonial architecture, baguettes, butter, economic exploitation, war, and various words (bia-bière-beer, bơ-beurre-butter, bồ-beau-lover, cà phê-café--coffee, lavabo=sink, phô mai-fromage-cheese) was the introduction of Catholicism, which dates … Continue reading Catholicism, the Vietnamese Language, & Student Recruitment in Viet Nam

Dr. Mark Ashwill to Lead 3rd Annual Riding the Wave Viet Nam Recruitment Seminar at NAFSA 2018

Mark A. Ashwill Announcement , , , ,

Here's an announcement about what has become an annual event at the NAFSA annual conference. If you dislike change, you're going to dislike irrelevance even more. ---Eric Shinseki Capstone Vietnam is pleased to announce that Mark Ashwill, Managing Director and Co-Founder, will speak at an unofficial, pre-conference Viet Nam student recruitment seminar to be held … Continue reading Dr. Mark Ashwill to Lead 3rd Annual Riding the Wave Viet Nam Recruitment Seminar at NAFSA 2018

How the Vietnamese Use the Internet, Including Social Media

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , , , ,

Since most young Vietnamese, including those planning to study overseas, are online, one question to ask yourself is: how big is your digital footprint in Viet Nam? Here is my latest PIE News blog post.  It's about an important topic that I discussed during my E20 webinar last week and in my recent StudyUSA Higher … Continue reading How the Vietnamese Use the Internet, Including Social Media

Live from Viet Nam – An E20 Webinar!

Mark A. Ashwill Updates , , , ,

Last week, I had the opportunity to present on one of my favorite topics, Viet Nam, to a virtual audience of over 40 US colleagues, including those from higher and secondary education.   I'm grateful to Syed Jamal from Branta and Renait Stephens from Study in the USA, event co-sponsor, for inviting me and for … Continue reading Live from Viet Nam – An E20 Webinar!

Rhetorical Question: “Why don’t Viet Nam’s universities rank higher in Asia?”

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , , ,

There is a tendency in Vietnam, with the media as an on- and offline amplifier, to engage in self-flagellation about education and other societal issues rather than looking carefully at the broader context and the, sometimes, hopeful reality. This results in journalists and many Vietnamese playing the ‘blame game’. The obvious targets here are the … Continue reading Rhetorical Question: “Why don’t Viet Nam’s universities rank higher in Asia?”