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”
Commentary
The Rushford Report on the “Consul General’s Candidacy as the Next Ambassador to Vietnam”
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
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”
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
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
"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”
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”
Hagel Hearings & The Vietnam War/Kill Anything That Moves (KATM)
Below is another Vietnam Studies Group exchange about Nick Turse's new book Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam (KATM). I responded to a colleague from the University of Arizona whose main criticisms are that Turse "tells us nothing new" and that he commits a sin of omission by excluding information that contradicts this colleague's theory - hypothesis … Continue reading Hagel Hearings & The Vietnam War/Kill Anything That Moves (KATM)
The US Student Visa: It’s Not Rocket Science!
This is a slightly expanded version of a short article I wrote for Capstone Vietnam's StudyUSA Higher Education and Community College Fair Guides and for publication on a news website. For those of you whose dream it is to study in the USA but who worry about the visa process, worry no more! The truth is that US consular … Continue reading The US Student Visa: It’s Not Rocket Science!
Calling a Spade a Spade: Stanley Karnow, Stanley McChrystal & Vietnam
Below is a recent exchange on the Vietnam Studies Group (VSG) listserv. Members include Vietnam scholars and practitioners, current and former diplomats and spooks ("agents or people involved in espionage"), journalists, non-governmental (NGO) organization staff, etc. Quite a few are overseas Vietnamese (Việt kiều). Read from the bottom up. Bernard Kalb, the journalist and former US State Department spokesman during … Continue reading Calling a Spade a Spade: Stanley Karnow, Stanley McChrystal & Vietnam
An International Educator in Vietnam 
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