“CSU” Reprise (aka The Other Shoe Just Dropped)

10/02/201126/10/2020 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary corruption, diploma mills, rogue providers, unaccredited schools

As I mentioned in my 24.1.11 post where can i buy an accredited overseas phd?, a request by the CSU owner, Zahid Yazdanie, to register California South University as a federal trademark was denied for obvious reasons. The most obvious is that it is in violation of section 89005.5 of the California Education Code, which provides … Continue reading “CSU” Reprise (aka The Other Shoe Just Dropped)

7k Strong Initiative?

08/02/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary study abroad, US-Vietnam relations, vietnam

Citing the strategic importance of the U.S.-China relationship, in November 2009, President Barack Obama announced the “100,000 Strong” initiative, a national effort designed to increase dramatically the number and diversify the composition of American students studying in China. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially launched the initiative in May 2010 in Beijing. The Chinese government … Continue reading 7k Strong Initiative?

where can i buy an accredited overseas phd?

24/01/201109/02/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary corruption, diploma mills, rogue providers, unaccredited schools

This is one of the recent inquiries that led someone, somewhere in the world to my blog. As I mentioned in a previous post, I can see a sampling of the search engine terms that people to use to find their way to An International Educator in Vietnam. If you enter this phrase into Google, … Continue reading where can i buy an accredited overseas phd?

Study Guides & Strategies in Vietnam

13/01/201113/01/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates academic globalization, study skills, Vietnamese students

The Study Guides and Strategies (SGS) website, A public service helping learners to succeed since 1996, is one of the most useful and popular websites around for students and others striving to become better and more efficient learners. Last year, the site had nearly 18 million “page views” and 8.6 million visitors, a new record. SGS … Continue reading Study Guides & Strategies in Vietnam

Policy Guidance for EducationUSA Centers on Commercial Recruitment Agents

27/12/201027/12/2010 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Documents education agents, educational advising, US-Vietnam educational exchange

This policy guidance (PDF) from the U.S. State Department's states that all (EducationUSA) centers "must adhere to the following ethical standards as a condition of their centers’ voluntary association with, and continued support from, ECA (Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs). We understand that many advisers have been approached by commercial recruiters who have requested … Continue reading Policy Guidance for EducationUSA Centers on Commercial Recruitment Agents

Vocational Education & Training in Vietnam: Opportunities & Untapped Potential

21/12/201021/12/2010 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates community colleges, economic development, vietnamese higher education, vocational education and training

Last summer, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced that it was providing $70 million in loans for the Viet Nam Skills Enhancement Project, which will offer training programs in priority industries in cooperation with the private sector. As in other countries, vocational education and training is “low prestige” and therefore not attractive to most high … Continue reading Vocational Education & Training in Vietnam: Opportunities & Untapped Potential

Wikileaks & Vietnam

17/12/201017/12/2010 Mark A. Ashwill Announcement, Commentary, Documents soft power, US-Vietnam relations, vietnam

Many people with a personal and professional interest in Vietnam are patiently waiting to see if any nuggets of gold can be mined from the ore that is the 2325 US Embassy-Hanoi documents that will be trickling out on the Wikileaks Cable Gate website. Areas of interest include all of the “usual suspects” such as war legacy issues (e.g., unexploded ordnance … Continue reading Wikileaks & Vietnam

Old (But Interesting) News

10/12/201010/12/2010 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Events national accreditation, regional accreditation, US-Vietnam educational exchange

Ms. Virginia E. Palmer, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Hanoi, Welcomes California Miramar University's 6th MBA Cohort (Source: California Miramar University) This is the kind of headline that immediately conjures up images of MasterCard's Priceless advertising campaign. Having two U.S. Embassy representatives, including a deputy chief of mission, and the country director of … Continue reading Old (But Interesting) News

The Times They Are a-Changin’: Agency-Based Recruitment

02/12/201002/12/2010 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary branding, international student recruitment, marketing

Agency-based recruitment has belatedly been embraced by U.S. colleges and universities even as it is becoming passé, one example among many that the US has much to learn from the rest of the world. It is only one of a growing number of options in the international student recruitment "bag of tricks" and already has limited utility in increasingly competitive markets such as Vietnam. Those schools … Continue reading The Times They Are a-Changin’: Agency-Based Recruitment

U.S. Visa Policy: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

28/11/2010 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary student visas, Vietnamese students, visa policy

“Applicants must demonstrate that they properly meet student visa requirements.” In other words, the onus is on the applicant to make her/his case and do it quickly. The application fee of $140 and the SEVIS fee of $200 ensure a visa interview that usually lasts in the five-minute range. As most of you probably know, the “big three” … Continue reading U.S. Visa Policy: Guilty Until Proven Innocent