Yes, No, Maybe? NACAC Straddles the Proverbial Fence

17/06/201308/07/2013 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary AIRC, education agents, international student recruitment, NACAC

A special commission studying the use of commission-based recruitment of international students has urged the National Association for College Admission Counseling to lift a ban on the practice, while at the same time discouraging it. (Shift on Agents, Inside Higher Ed, 13.6.13) Jekyll & Hyde Approach to Policy Statements How much time and money were invested in … Continue reading Yes, No, Maybe? NACAC Straddles the Proverbial Fence

Corruption Sans Borders: U.S. Visas for Sale in Ho Chi Minh City

06/06/201302/08/2018 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary corruption, student visas, Vietnamese students, visa policy

Say it ain't so, Mike! Michael Sestak, the former NIV (Non-Immigrant Visa) chief in the US Consulate General in HCMC, got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. To paraphrase a verse from the The Good Book: greed and arrogance goeth before a fall. Apparently, his generous foreign service officer salary and the various goodies that … Continue reading Corruption Sans Borders: U.S. Visas for Sale in Ho Chi Minh City

The College of St. Scholastica Comes to Vietnam

05/05/201306/06/2013 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Events academic globalization, academic partnerships, college of st. scholastica, high school students, international student recruitment, scholarships, US-Vietnam educational exchange, vietnam development, Vietnamese students

Omnes semitae eius pacificae, which means All Her Paths Are Peace. (From the CSS College Crest) It’s unusual for a US institution of higher education to send a delegation consisting of its president, a dean and a director of international education to Vietnam. For an entire week. But that’s exactly what The College of St. Scholastica (CSS) … Continue reading The College of St. Scholastica Comes to Vietnam

“Washington Eyes Raising State Tuition of Foreigners”

26/04/201326/04/2013 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary high school students, international student recruitment, Vietnamese students, washington state

This headline in a recent New York Times article caught my attention. Washington state ranks 11th in international enrollment, according the 2012 Open Doors report, with 20,198 foreign students, an increase of 13.4% over the previous year. Vietnam ranks 3rd with 8.2% of total enrollment at WA colleges and universities. (In case you're counting, that's over … Continue reading “Washington Eyes Raising State Tuition of Foreigners”

The Rushford Report on the “Consul General’s Candidacy as the Next Ambassador to Vietnam”

19/04/201319/04/2013 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary US-Vietnam relations, vietnam studies

This blog post from Diplopundit and the 15 April 2013 article on which it's based, entitled "How (Not) to Become a U.S. Ambassador" by Greg Rushford of The Rushford Report fame, definitely fall into the category of Intrigue.

Slow Down To Catch Up

14/04/2013 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary education reform, emerging economies, private higher education, vietnamese higher education

Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) recently announced plans to reduce enrollment at 23 universities and colleges. According to Bui Van Ga, a vice minister, the intent of the policy is to "focus on quality instead of quantity.” Enrollment quotas will be reduced between 10% and 100% at the 23 institutions “because of failures to … Continue reading Slow Down To Catch Up

“The 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War: Revising the Past, Revisiting the Lies”

13/04/2013 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary american war in vietnam, US-Vietnam relations, vergangenheitsbewältigung, vietnam studies, vietnam war

This piece about the US commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War was published in The Huffington Post blog on 9 April 2013. I introduced it with this excerpt from a 2003 essay written by war veteran Steve Banko: One of our victims was searched when the shooting stopped and the bleeding continued and was … Continue reading “The 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War: Revising the Past, Revisiting the Lies”

The Double-Edged Sword That Is US Higher Education

27/03/201330/03/2013 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Events emerging economies, overseas study, US-Vietnam educational exchange, US-Vietnam relations, vietnam, vietnam development

I was recently invited by Madame Ton Nu Thi Ninh, President of the Tri Viet Institute for International Studies and Exchange within Ton Duc Thang University and Senior Advisor to the President of TDT University, to speak to interested students, faculty and staff about US higher education in comparative perspective with an implicit focus on Vietnam. As with people, every … Continue reading The Double-Edged Sword That Is US Higher Education

Not What They Signed Up For

22/03/201312/04/2013 Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary rogue providers, SEVIS, unaccredited schools, visa policy

"The bittersweet fact is that America exports some of the world's best and worst higher education." (MAA) When Albert Anarwat applied to the for-profit Aristotle University, in California, the Ghanaian student said he asked the university if the institution was accredited. Not only was he told yes, he said, but he also was told that … Continue reading Not What They Signed Up For

“how to buy a phd”

21/03/2013 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary corruption, diploma mills, fake diplomas, ph.d. degree, rogue providers, unaccredited schools

It's amazing how many people visit my blog in a vain attempt, no pun intended, to find out how to buy a degree, especially a Ph.D. In addition to "how to buy a phd," other search engine terms include life experience phd, get a phd based on job experience, buying phd and buy university degrees. Some want something for nothing, as … Continue reading “how to buy a phd”

An International Educator in Vietnam

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