Wednesday, May 29, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM If you're planning to attend the 2019 annual conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators in Washington, D.C. and you're interested in this topic, mark your conference calendar! Join me, Eddie West, session chair and Executive Director, International Programs, University of California-Berkeley Extension, and Mayumi Kowta, Director, International Programs California … Continue reading Commissions-Based International Student Recruitment Agents: Is There a Better Way?
Articles
“The shift of Vietnamese students to Canada marches on”
Here is my latest essay for University World News. If you like the teaser below, follow this link to read the article in its entirety. This is a follow-up to an April 2018 article I wrote entitled Vietnamese students look at the US and head north (editor's title). I placed a gentleman's bet with myself that … Continue reading “The shift of Vietnamese students to Canada marches on”
“International education ‘number one priority’ for US bureau”
At the February IIE Summit 2019, Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), US State Department, told her audience that international education is the #1 priority for ECA. Her deputy, Caroline Casagrande, confirmed that “additional resources” have been obtained to promote outbound and inbound study abroad. What "additional resources," I wonder? In terms of … Continue reading “International education ‘number one priority’ for US bureau”
“Foreign student numbers should be cut, say Australians”
A national survey, commissioned by the University of New South Wales (UNSW), unexpectedly revealed the growing public antagonism to the international visitors. So much so that a majority of people now believe the government should call a halt to any increase in their numbers. I wonder when we'll hear this from the MAGA crowd and … Continue reading “Foreign student numbers should be cut, say Australians”
International recruitment – Are education agents welcome?
This is the second in a series of co-authored articles about commissions-based recruitment of international students. The other co-author is Eddie West, executive director of international programs at UC Berkeley Extension. Previously, he served as director of international initiatives at the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). Eddie blogs at International Education Insights. The first article, … Continue reading International recruitment – Are education agents welcome?
Expanding the Fulbright Legacy in Vietnam (?)
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 (1835-1910) This was the title of a 2018 article written by Mary Beth Marklein (MBM) for Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning (Volume 50, 2018 - Issue 1, pp. 63-70). The online … Continue reading Expanding the Fulbright Legacy in Vietnam (?)
On the outside looking in: A US American in Vietnam
I have spent over 40 percent of my adult life outside of my home country, never content with having my soul controlled by geography, to paraphrase George Santayana. I carry a U.S. passport but it doesn’t define me. I am a U.S. ex-patriot and global citizen who calls Vietnam home. Follow this link to read … Continue reading On the outside looking in: A US American in Vietnam
The Metamorphosis of International Students Into Honorary US Nationalists: a View from Viet Nam
Follow this link to read my latest article, which is about a phenomenon I've observed over the years, namely, how some young Vietnamese who study in the USA become what I refer to as honorary US nationalists. (If you're not sure what nationalism means, have a look at this 2016 essay. Hint: It's quite different … Continue reading The Metamorphosis of International Students Into Honorary US Nationalists: a View from Viet Nam
About Viet Nam’s “gifting culture”
Giving gifts to people in authority has become normal, but we have to be aware it institutionalizes an 'underworld.' Also known as an "envelope culture" (văn hóa phong bì) because envelopes are used for more than sending letters, so passé in the digital age, and giving "lucky money" (lì xì) at Lunar New Year. A … Continue reading About Viet Nam’s “gifting culture”
The Importance of Speaking Up About “Things That Matter”
After telling an acquaintance who is well-known in Viet Nam circles that I intended to write about the rhetorical bombshells that Thomas Vallely dropped in an early 2018 interview about Bob Kerrey and Fulbright University Vietnam, he warned me about possible backlash. In case you're just tuning in, Vallely is Senior Adviser for Mainland Southeast Asia … Continue reading The Importance of Speaking Up About “Things That Matter”
An International Educator in Vietnam 
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