David Shear’s US Senate Confirmation Hearing

25/03/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates US-Vietnam educational exchange, US-Vietnam relations

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing “to examine the nominations of David Bruce Shear, of New York, to be Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (my italics), and Kurt Walter Tong, of Maryland, for the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service as United States Senior Official for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) … Continue reading David Shear’s US Senate Confirmation Hearing

What’s in a Name? Bill Gates School in Hanoi

25/03/201122/05/2020 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates private schools, vietnam

Yes, dear readers, there is a Bill Gates School (BGS) in Hanoi, which consists of a kindergarten and an elementary school. I saw an ad in my neighborhood and thought I'd check it out. Perhaps the founders were inspired by several visits to the City of Peace by the Man Himself and his Microsoft success … Continue reading What’s in a Name? Bill Gates School in Hanoi

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop: Of Sham Universities & SEVIS Approved Schools

17/03/201128/03/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates corruption, diploma mills, international student recruitment, rogue providers

Fact: The United States is the world’s leading host of unaccredited schools, also known as rogue providers. Fact: The US State Department represents officially (i.e., regionally and nationally) accredited colleges and universities. Fact: One of the three criteria that consular officers use to make the determination whether or not an applicant "is entitled to a nonimmigrant … Continue reading Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop: Of Sham Universities & SEVIS Approved Schools

Vietnam’s Younger Generation & the Future

17/02/201117/02/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary high school students, vietnam development, Vietnamese students

Vietnam is a "young" country. You can see it everywhere you look and in the statistics (median age: 27.4). It's what economists refer to as a "demographic dividend," which Vietnam is hoping to take advantage of. I recently spent a couple of mornings and afternoons conducting Skype interviews with young people, high school and … Continue reading Vietnam’s Younger Generation & the Future

If Vietnam were your home instead of The United States you would…

15/02/201116/02/2011 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates country comparisons, vietnam development

I recently came upon this site, which was created last year at first “as a way to show the magnitude of the BP Oil Spill. Through a number of conversations with visitors to the site, we realized that we had stumbled onto a very powerful concept. Representing large facts in relation to a person's own home is … Continue reading If Vietnam were your home instead of The United States you would…

“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