Creating and Maintaining Productive and Effective Partnerships

This was my first presentation in absentia.  I was scheduled to present at the 2014 CCID Conference in late February about Creating and Maintaining Productive and Effective Partnerships for community colleges, along with my distinguished colleagues, but wasn't able to attend.  Below is the abstract and list of presenters.  Follow this link to download a … Continue reading Creating and Maintaining Productive and Effective Partnerships

Coming Full Circle: A Conscientious Objector Returns to Vietnam

Below are some excerpts from an article by Doug Hostetter, who is director of the Mennonite Central Committee United Nations Office in New York City.   He was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam war, who did his alternative service working for Mennonite Central Committee in Vietnam from 1966 to 1969.  Doug was a member of the National Student Association delegation to … Continue reading Coming Full Circle: A Conscientious Objector Returns to Vietnam

Same Same But Different

Earlier this week, on a humid evening, the air heavy with memories and raw emotion at the Cinematheque in Hanoi, I met some of the 17 members of the Veterans for Peace Chapter 160 Spring 2014 Tour, who are here for a two-week visit, including Hanoi, Dong Ha/A Luoi, Khe Sanh, Danang, Hue, Hoi An … Continue reading Same Same But Different

Jumping on the Vietnam War Commemoration Bandwagon: The Vain Search for Honor

Overcoming the Past? The good news is that while most of America continues to indulge in this national charade, and refuses to come to terms with its bloody past and prevent the "past" from becoming "prologue" again and again, the tiny S-shaped country upon which the U.S. military visited so much death and destruction has … Continue reading Jumping on the Vietnam War Commemoration Bandwagon: The Vain Search for Honor

Nonimmigrant B Visa Adjusted Refusal Rates: Vietnam’s Stock Is Rising

While B visas are not F1 (i.e., student) visas, a look at issuance statistics since 2006 reveals a positive trend for Vietnamese traveling to the U.S. on business or on holiday.  (B-1 visas are for tourism, pleasure or visiting, while B-2 visas are a combination of both purposes.) In Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 20.3% of … Continue reading Nonimmigrant B Visa Adjusted Refusal Rates: Vietnam’s Stock Is Rising

An Anti-Ode to Security Guards

They are legion and ubiquitous, these.. dispensers of disdain, guardians of the gutter, helpers of the haves, keepers of the gate, monitors of the masses, movers of the motorbikes, protectors of the pavement, rulers of the realm, supervisors of the street, takers of the tickets. You know who - the bane of many people's existence, the guys … Continue reading An Anti-Ode to Security Guards

Vietnam Education & Labor Survey

Last year, Alex Minh Ngo, who describes himself as "a concerned observer of public services in Vietnam," carried out an online survey of Vietnamese students and recent graduates of universities abroad. Of the 123 respondents, 80% were living abroad and 20% in Vietnam. Most had studied business, economics, or engineering.  The survey was motivated by conversations … Continue reading Vietnam Education & Labor Survey

“Vietnamese Americans should come and live in Vietnam full time”

Interesting, insightful and heartfelt post by Minh, a HCMC-based blogger at Tech In Asia. Introduction:  I’m a Vietnamese American. I’ve been living in Vietnam for seven years now. And in that time, I’ve only come back to the States a total of four times. Each time was less than a month. In other words, I’ve been living in … Continue reading “Vietnamese Americans should come and live in Vietnam full time”

Countries as Positive & Negative Role Models: The Link Between Education and the Economy

In the spirit of comparative studies in general and comparative education in particular here is yet another example of what countries like Vietnam can learn from countries like the United States in terms of what road(s) not to take - with ap0logies to the American poet Robert Frost. The American work force has some of weakest mathematical … Continue reading Countries as Positive & Negative Role Models: The Link Between Education and the Economy