Happy 5th Anniversary, An International Educator in Vietnam!

Over 500 posts and five (5) years of relative online freedom of speech after four (4) years of working for an employer that had a pre-approval policy for its employees' outside writing and speaking activities. Coincidentally (?), my first post on 16 November 2009 was about a book chapter I co-authored entitled “Developing Globally Competent … Continue reading Happy 5th Anniversary, An International Educator in Vietnam!

“Dear International Students: Thanks for Your Tuition. Now Go Home. Love, Uncle Sam.”

When President Obama announced his executive action on immigration in November, millions of undocumented people welcomed the expanded protections that the reform offered. What grabbed headlines abroad, however, were minor tweaks to visa policies—revisions that are likely to affect as many as 256,000 foreign workers in the U.S. But these changes don’t come close to … Continue reading “Dear International Students: Thanks for Your Tuition. Now Go Home. Love, Uncle Sam.”

Walking the walk – Ethical agency-based recruitment

Below is an excerpt from an article I wrote about education agents in Vietnam for University World News (12 December 2014).  The original, and admittedly rather lengthy, title was Walking the Walk:  Ethical Business Practices in the Wild and Woolly World of Agency-Based Recruitment.  That's what editors are for, right? Follow this link to read … Continue reading Walking the walk – Ethical agency-based recruitment

Keynote Address: “Intercultural Competence as a Cornerstone of Innovation”

I was honored to be invited to give the keynote address at the recent annual Conference of Business Innovation, organized by the FPT Leadership Institute. First, a word about the parent company.  FPT, Vietnam's leading technology company, was founded in 1988 as The Food Processing Technology Company.  Its first contract was  to provide computers for … Continue reading Keynote Address: “Intercultural Competence as a Cornerstone of Innovation”

Emerging and Developing Economies Much More Optimistic than Rich Countries about the Future

Education, Hard Work Considered Keys to Success, but Inequality Still a Challenge As they continue to struggle with the effects of the Great Recession, publics in advanced economies are pessimistic about the financial prospects for the next generation. Most of those surveyed in richer nations think children in their country will be worse off financially … Continue reading Emerging and Developing Economies Much More Optimistic than Rich Countries about the Future

Looking Back & Ahead: My Six Months in Vietnam (Guest Post)

Below is a guest post by Joe Crook, a senior at Brandeis University who spent the spring 2014 semester in Vietnam.  He also worked for part of the summer in Hanoi.  Joe was a member of a select group; there were only 683 US students in Vietnam during 2012/13, the last year for which statistics … Continue reading Looking Back & Ahead: My Six Months in Vietnam (Guest Post)

“American University”: (Yet) Another Tale from the Shadowy World of US-Based Rogue Providers

Strap on your seat belts!  Yes, dear readers and blog followers, here's yet another story about "university" that supports my statement, The US exports some of the world's best and worst higher education.  I know it's been a long time and that some of you are probably chomping at the bit waiting for another one … Continue reading “American University”: (Yet) Another Tale from the Shadowy World of US-Based Rogue Providers

At TPP, Vietnam, developing nations come under US onslaught on affordable cancer treatments

Below is a repost of an article that originally appeared on 23 October in Thanh Nien News and was picked up by Info.vn.  There are basically two sides in this debate:  1) those who support profit over people; and 2) those who support people over profit.  Unlike most things in life, it's really that simple.  … Continue reading At TPP, Vietnam, developing nations come under US onslaught on affordable cancer treatments

Not All US Higher Education Fairs Are Created Equal: Part II

Truth in advertising:  A fairly legal definition is advertisements that do not make misleading, false, or deceptive claims.  So let's say Wonderful Educational Consulting  Company is organizing a US higher education fair series and they state in their publicity that only regionally accredited (RA) colleges and universities are permitted to join.  Wouldn't you logically expect … Continue reading Not All US Higher Education Fairs Are Created Equal: Part II