Commentary

Bigger Isn’t Always Better: The Jerry Maguire Approach to US Higher Ed Fairs

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , ,

I remember my last US higher education fair with IIE-Vietnam.  (Note:  I served as country director from 2005-09.)  There were a record 92 participating institutions in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).  Every square inch of the ballroom and the lobby was packed with tables, reps and attendees.  By all accounts, including number of institutions represented, … Continue reading Bigger Isn’t Always Better: The Jerry Maguire Approach to US Higher Ed Fairs

Oops!… They Did It Again

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , , , ,

Last year around this time, I wrote about Jose Maria Vargas University (JMVU), a nationally accredited (NA) school based in Florida, which was permitted to join the Institute of International Education's (IIE) US higher education fairs in Vietnam.  This in spite of the fact IIE guidelines state that “Only regionally accredited (RA) two-year, four-year and … Continue reading Oops!… They Did It Again

“Corruption in Education Creates Serious Consequences for the Poor”

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This the title is a wide-ranging interview that I did last month with a reporter from Báo Giáo dục Việt Nam (Vietnam Education News).  This education news website ranks 8,829 in the world, 51 in Vietnam and is linked in 2,093 websites (as of 20.10.12).  As you can see from some original English language excerpts below, corruption … Continue reading “Corruption in Education Creates Serious Consequences for the Poor”

Determining Financial Need: Lessons from Vietnam (Part II)

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , , ,

Here's the follow-up post in which I describe how to screen those who actually deserve the merit- and need-based scholarships awarded by many US colleges and universities.  By way of introduction, back in the mid-1990s, a book entitled Material World was published by Sierra Club Books in honor of the United Nations-sponsored International Year of the Family … Continue reading Determining Financial Need: Lessons from Vietnam (Part II)

Determining Financial Need: Lessons from Vietnam

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , , ,

Many US colleges and universities, especially those with healthy endowments (i.e., highly selective liberal arts colleges but also some visionary state universities that are able to offer scholarships to international students, including by charging in-state tuition), award millions of dollars worth of merit- and need-based scholarships every year to international students.  They do this for the … Continue reading Determining Financial Need: Lessons from Vietnam

Welcome to My Neighborhood (aka Letting in the Fresh Air and the Flies)

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , ,

In my bustling neighborhood in the Cau Giay District of Hanoi, I can see over a billion dollars of local investment and foreign direct investment (FDI) from my front door, so to speak, where new condos, office buildings, and hotels are sprouting up like mushrooms.  A field that just a few years ago was a hot spot for … Continue reading Welcome to My Neighborhood (aka Letting in the Fresh Air and the Flies)

Corruption in Education: The Scourge of Forged Documents

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates ,

Dear US Admission Colleagues, As you may know, corruption in its many forms, both large and small, permeates Vietnamese society, including (use your imagination) and education.  Vietnam ranks 112/183, according to the 2011  Transparency International Corruptions Perceptions Index (CPI).  If you're Vietnamese or an expat who has lived in Vietnam for a long time, you know what I'm talking … Continue reading Corruption in Education: The Scourge of Forged Documents

“50 percent of Vietnamese teachers regret their career decision”

Mark A. Ashwill Articles, Commentary , , ,

This is one of the highlights of a survey conducted by the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences (VIES), a damning indictment of the working conditions of Vietnamese teachers.  The survey of 526 teachers from 27 schools in five provinces asked primary, secondary (junior high) and high school teachers this question:  Would you still choose to work as a teacher, if you could make … Continue reading “50 percent of Vietnamese teachers regret their career decision”

Secrets of the Capitalist Class (in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam)

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , ,

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE:  psychological conflict resulting from incongruous beliefs and attitudes held simultaneously.  I recently came across the  3/12 issue of Kinh Tế tập đoàn (Economy Group), a bilingual magazine that features articles about a variety of business- and economy-related topics, including laws on regulating operation of state-owned enterprises and financial mechanisms and policies for state-owned economy groups and … Continue reading Secrets of the Capitalist Class (in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam)

To Emigrate or Not to Emigrate, That is The Question (With Apologies to Mr. Shakespeare)

Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates , , , ,

I recently received an email from a Vietnamese student (I’ll call her “Hoa”) who just earned her bachelor’s degree in the US.  Hers is the story of many young Vietnamese who study overseas, which is why I want to share it with you.  I’ve changed the names to protect the innocent.  🙂 Hoa writes:  I … Continue reading To Emigrate or Not to Emigrate, That is The Question (With Apologies to Mr. Shakespeare)