Hieu’s Story: The Next Chapter

04/01/201230/01/2012 Mark A. Ashwill Announcement, Commentary boarding schools, high school students, scholarship

Some of you may recall my 26 November blog post about Nguyen Trung Hieu, an 11th grader at the Hanoi-Amsterdam School for the Gifted, whose literature class assignment somehow found its way onto the Internet, where it has touched the hearts of millions and spurred an outpouring of support. A Dream Fulfilled Shortly after Hieu’s … Continue reading Hieu’s Story: The Next Chapter

High School Completion Programs in Washington State: Off to a “Running Start”

28/12/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Programs community colleges, high school completion programs, high school students, Vietnamese students, visa policy

It is well-known that the majority of Vietnamese students begin their US higher education at a community college (two-year school) as a gateway to a four-year college or university to complete their bachelor's degree. A community college program in Washington state that allows student to earn a Washington high school diploma and a university transfer associate degree in just two years, … Continue reading High School Completion Programs in Washington State: Off to a “Running Start”

Emerging Markets for International Student Recruitment: Thinking Beyond China and India

23/12/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates china, emerging economies, india, international academic mobility, international student recruitment, overseas study

Thanks to Rahul Choudaha for permission to repost this insightful commentary... With more than 260,000 students from China and India enrolled in the US, many American institutions are over-reliant on these two markets for meeting their international student recruitment goals. With the budget cuts, self-financed students are becoming increasingly important and Chinese undergraduate students are … Continue reading Emerging Markets for International Student Recruitment: Thinking Beyond China and India

Dancing in the Park

22/12/201122/12/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Announcement, Commentary civil society, hanoi, public space

For as long as cities have existed, people have needed spaces where communities can gather and individuals can meet, find diversions, and conduct business. In various times and places, public markets, city parks, wide sidewalks, village and city squares, malls around national monuments, and other organized and unorganized public spaces have filled these roles. In … Continue reading Dancing in the Park

“Students prefer jobs in foreign firms: poll”

18/12/201118/12/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary employment, foreign companies, vietnamese companies, Vietnamese students

Fifty-five percent of students wish to work for foreign-invested companies, making these institutions the top choice of working environment for graduates, according to an annual survey conducted by human resource consulting firm Nhan Viet Management Group. The one question that this article did not address is WHY? Below are some comments from Vietnamese university students … Continue reading “Students prefer jobs in foreign firms: poll”

Columbia Southern University Strikes It Rich in Vietnam

17/12/201127/08/2012 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates national accreditation, online for-profit higher education, Vietnamese students

Columbia Southern University (CSU), a nationally accredited (NA), for-profit online university based in Orange, Alabama, USA, is probably the most profitable US institution of higher education in Vietnam. CSU has 28,000 students in 22 countries and territories around the world with significant concentrations in Vietnam, China and Hong Kong. As its website notes, it “offers 23 … Continue reading Columbia Southern University Strikes It Rich in Vietnam

Is Imitation the Sincerest Form of Flattery?

14/12/201114/12/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates academic globalization, accreditation, rogue providers, unaccredited schools, US-Vietnam educational exchange

The Global Institute of Strategic Management (GISM), which has close ties to Akamai University, a Hawaii-based school that appears on my list of unaccredited US institutions, has a logo that bears a striking resemblance to the Great Seal of a certain US federal executive department charged with implementing that country's foreign policy. Compare the above logo with that on the US … Continue reading Is Imitation the Sincerest Form of Flattery?

AmCham Scholars Program

09/12/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Events amcham vietnam, scholarships

I spent an afternoon last week interviewing candidates for the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam - Hanoi Chapter (AmCham Hanoi) Scholarship Program. My fellow panelists and I were charged with evaluating their interpersonal skills, achievement orientation, analytical skills and problem-solving skills through a series of questions. In addition, the students had to respond to a pre-assigned topic about … Continue reading AmCham Scholars Program

MapleBear Canadian Kindergarten: Teaching Kids to Throw Garbage in the Garbage Bin

05/12/201105/12/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary kindergarten, parenting skills, school as agent of socialization, vietnam

We teach our kids to throw garbage in the garbage bin, not on the street. An interesting way to market a kindergarten. It's not about learning to communicate, play, and interact with others appropriately; it's about teaching your children to become good citizens by disposing of their waste properly. It's true that there is a distressing shortage of environmental awareness among … Continue reading MapleBear Canadian Kindergarten: Teaching Kids to Throw Garbage in the Garbage Bin

An International Educator in Vietnam

Information, Insights & (Frequently) Intrigue

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