A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective on Challenges and Best Practices This is the very long and descriptive title of a forthcoming book edited by Pii-Tuulia Nikula, Principal Academic, Te Pukenga – New Zealand Institute of Technology and Skills, Vincenzo Raimo, an independent higher education consultant and Visiting Fellow at the University of Reading, where he previously served … Continue reading Student Recruitment Agents in International Higher Education (Spring 2023)
agency-based recruitment
Imagine a World Without Education Agents (I Wonder If You Can)
Here's my latest essay for University World News. The title is intended to be provocative but tells only part of the story. The spotlight is on what many of us refer to as the fatal flaw in commissions-based international student recruitment. Read the entire essay to find out the rest. Start with the above summary … Continue reading Imagine a World Without Education Agents (I Wonder If You Can)
“Ethical agents should support direct student admissions”
Students occasionally ask one co-author, who has lived and worked in Viet Nam since 2005, whether or not they can apply directly. The answer is an enthusiastic ‘Yes’, if they feel sufficiently confident. The original working title, Imagine a World Without Agents, We Wonder If You Can - with a grateful nod to John Lennon … Continue reading “Ethical agents should support direct student admissions”
Commissions-Based International Student Recruitment Agents: Is There a Better Way?
Wednesday, May 29, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM If you're planning to attend the 2019 annual conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators in Washington, D.C. and you're interested in this topic, mark your conference calendar! Join me, Eddie West, session chair and Executive Director, International Programs, University of California-Berkeley Extension, and Mayumi Kowta, Director, International Programs California … Continue reading Commissions-Based International Student Recruitment Agents: Is There a Better Way?
Unofficial, Pre-Conference Seminar About Commissions-Based Recruitment @ NAFSA 2019
Ethical Commissions-Based Recruitment: The Need for a New Way Join Mark Ashwill, managing director and co-founder of Capstone Vietnam, a full-service educational consulting company in Viet Nam and former country director of the Institute of International Education-Viet Nam, Eddie West, assistant dean, UC Berkeley Extension, and executive director, international programs, and former director of international … Continue reading Unofficial, Pre-Conference Seminar About Commissions-Based Recruitment @ NAFSA 2019
International recruitment – Are education agents welcome?
This is the second in a series of co-authored articles about commissions-based recruitment of international students. The other co-author is Eddie West, executive director of international programs at UC Berkeley Extension. Previously, he served as director of international initiatives at the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). Eddie blogs at International Education Insights. The first article, … Continue reading International recruitment – Are education agents welcome?
Direct Applications on the Rise
While Viet Nam is still primarily an agent-driven market, growing numbers of students are beginning to bypass education agents and apply directly to educational institutions, especially for certain types of institutions and programs with simpler application procedures. In some cases, more than 50% of all apps are directly from students. The reasons for this recent … Continue reading Direct Applications on the Rise
How Many Students Will You Send Us?
I occasionally receive inquiries from colleagues asking me how many students will I refer to their institutions by a certain term, i.e., semester or quarter. The assumption behind the question is that the company I work for, Capstone Vietnam, a full-service educational consulting company, follows the traditional agent model of student recruitment. In fact, we … Continue reading How Many Students Will You Send Us?
Of Dogs, Fleas, & the Occasionally Dirty Business of International Student Recruitment
A Deal with the Devil aka Partners in Unethical Behavior? Discussions about the use of commission-based recruitment and international student recruitment in general are often couched in black and white terms. The former refers to the unethical business practices of many education agents whose overriding goal is money, and lots of it as quickly as … Continue reading Of Dogs, Fleas, & the Occasionally Dirty Business of International Student Recruitment
The Education Agent Issue in the US: Like a Bad Penny
It’s reminiscent of those trick candles that delight children and adults alike. (OK, some adults.) You blow them out and they continue to relight themselves – like magic! While the US was late to the agent debate, actions that have been taken to date, while most would agree represent progress, have clearly not assuaged everyone’s … Continue reading The Education Agent Issue in the US: Like a Bad Penny
An International Educator in Viet Nam 
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