The Vietnam Education Foundation 2011 Annual Report

Annual Report 2011 Page 9
o 2009 cohort: 7 Visiting Scholars
o 2010 cohort: 3 Visiting Scholars
o 2011 cohort: 3 Visiting Scholars (One Scholar of the 2011 cohort deferred to cohort 2012.)
VEF Visiting Scholars are in the United States for no more than a year, so they may have a more immediate
impact on Vietnam as they bring back their American experience and professional expertise and as they build on
their newly developed relationships with U.S. universities.
Besides sending Vietnamese nationals to the United States for graduate education and for postdoctoral
professional development, VEF also selects American citizens to teach at Vietnamese universities. VEF launched
the U.S. Faculty Scholar Program in December 2007. American professors teach for one to two semesters either
on site in Vietnam or via real-time, interactive videoconferencing from the United States. Using the latter mode of
delivery, the Faculty Scholar must be on site in Vietnam for at least one week both at the beginning and at the end
of the course(s). Four cohorts, totaling 17 American Faculty Scholars, have been selected to date for 17 Faculty
Scholar grants:
o 2008 cohort: 4 Faculty Scholars
o 2009 cohort: 2 Faculty Scholars 1
o 2010 cohort: 6 Faculty Scholars
o 2011 cohort: 5 Faculty Scholars
The VEF U.S. Faculty Scholar Program has immediate impact because American professors teach at Vietnamese
universities for up to one year, and, as required in their grant proposal, their projects must be based on building
long-term relationships between their U.S. home institution and their Vietnamese host institution.
In addition to conducting the three educational exchange programs for Fellowships, Visiting Scholar grants, and
U.S. Faculty Scholar grants, VEF helps to strengthen Vietnam’s internal capacity in science and technology. One
of the VEF capacity building activities for Vietnam is the academic lecture program in which VEF arranges for
American experts, who are sponsored by VEF to participate in major VEF activities in Vietnam, to lecture in their
field at Vietnamese academic institutions. For this reporting period, VEF arranged for eight American
scientists/experts to give lectures or have scientific meetings with faculty members and students at seven host
academic institutions or organizations in Vietnam. In another capacity building project, VEF was a co-organizer
of the 4 th U.S. Embassy Education Conference in Hanoi.
To execute a quality agenda of exceptional programs, VEF has a highly dedicated professional staff in its
Headquarters in the United States and in its Field Office in Vietnam. The U.S. staff members are U.S. Federal
Government employees while the VEF staff in Hanoi are not since they are all Vietnamese nationals. Despite the
physical distance and time difference between the United States and Vietnam, the two offices function
exceptionally well together. Daily communication is conducted via emails, conference calls, WebEx meetings,
direct phone calls, and Skype chats and calls. The U.S. senior staff establish strategies, policies, and procedures,
and they review and finalize documents. The Hanoi staff manages the logistics for VEF activities in Vietnam and
assists with arrangements for activities in the United States, all with oversight and approval by the U.S. Office. As
is typical in any office, personnel changes occur. During this reporting period, the U.S. office added a new
Program Officer position and revised the position, title, and responsibilities of the Executive Assistant to Finance
and the Administration Assistant.. To assure continued quality outcomes and excellent team work, VEF
1 Two 2009 Faculty Scholars received one grant as they were co-teaching. However, only one is listed here as the Faculty
Scholar because only one person is considered the recipient of the VEF grant funds and is responsible for the grant.