Thomson Signs Agreemnt with Cardean University to Offer Online M.B.A. Degree

March 15, 2002

Thomson Enterprise Learning, part of The Thomson Corporation, the world’s

largest provider of corporate and professional learning solutions, today announced

that it signed an agreement exclusively to market and sell online education

courses from UNext’s Cardean University to major corporate clients.

With the addition of the Cardean courses to its portfolio, Thomson Enterprise

Solutions alone now provides Global 1000 clients with online learning programs

for all levels of the organization that lead to the attainment of a wide array

of degrees, including High School, Associate and now M.B.A. degrees.

Cardean collaborates with some of the world’s leading business schools – including

Columbia Business School, Stanford University, the University of Chicago Graduate

School of Business, Carnegie Mellon, and the London School of Economics and

Political Science – to develop courses that bring world-class education online,

meeting the unique needs of busy Global 1000 corporate managers and executives

by enabling them to pursue advanced professional development.

"Client input and market research revealed strong demand for world-class,

flexible and advanced learning programs for today’s fast paced executives who

simply can’t take time away from their jobs, lives and homes to expand their

formal education," said Alex Brnilovich, president and CEO of Thomson Enterprise

Learning. "This exclusive agreement with UNext to offer Cardean University

programs to business meets the needs of Global 1000 clients and adds a new dimension

to our suite of learning content. We are now the only provider delivering multiple

degree programs and meeting the complete scope of corporate learning needs from

technician to executive levels."

"Cardean courses are designed to facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge

and skills in an exciting and engaging environment and to meet the needs of

corporate professionals and executives who juggle multiple personal and work

responsibilities," said Andy Rosenfield, UNext chairman and CEO. "The

global reach of the Thomson organization makes it the best possible partner

to take Cardean’s product offerings to large business organizations that greatly

can benefit from our programs."

Cushing Anderson, Senior Analyst at IDC commented: "Thomson has already

demonstrated the capability to bring a multitude of learning delivery options

and services, providing exactly what corporations currently demand and will

demand in the future. The addition of the Cardean University courses and programs

extends Thomson Enterprise Learning’s value proposition by allowing global organizations

to aggregate an even broader range of learning needs with a single, established

provider."

The addition of the Cardean University program complements the already broad

range of Thomson Enterprise Learning’s business and professional development

courses for the corporate learning market. Course topics range from acquisition

decisions to assessing risk to courses on sales management and international

management. Combined with the complete range of IT courses for professional

and non-professional users, Thomson serves a complete spectrum of learning needs

for global organizations. Recent industry product awards include a "Top

Ten Training Product of the Year" for business and professional development

courseware and two Gold awards, one for Innovative Technology and one for Customer

Satisfaction for IT Courseware in the "Excellence in e-Learning" program

conducted by brandonhall.com and Online Learning magazine.

Cardean currently offers approximately 150 courses covering topics in accounting,

marketing, economics, e-commerce strategy and business policy. Credit or Mastery

courses, which articulate toward the Cardean MBA take up to 30 hours to complete

and provide in-depth knowledge in business subjects. Cardean’s Quantum courses

provide short, focused overviews of specific business topics and take roughly

2 hours to complete. Students in Mastery courses learn by doing, solving real-world

business problems with support from student work groups and faculty mentoring.

Cardean is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education

and Training Council and is authorized to grant degrees by the Illinois Board

of Higher Education.

About the Thomson Corporation

The Thomson Corporation ( www.thomson.com), with 2001 revenues of $7.2 billion,

is a leading provider of integrated information solutions to business and professional

markets worldwide. Its Learning businesses and brands serve the needs of individuals,

learning institutions and corporations with products and services for both traditional

and distributed learning. The corporate Thomson Enterprise Learning represents

leading brands including NETg, Prometric, DBM, Course Technology and many subject-specific

market leaders. These businesses lead the corporate training industry with innovative

products and a full range of learning solutions incorporating Internet services

and interactivity, as well as computer-based training, instructor-led training,

mentoring, and text support. Thomson Enterprise Learning serves over 5,000 customers

worldwide including DaimlerChrysler, Northwest Airlines, Honeywell, Procter

& Gamble and Dow Chemical.

About UNext and Cardean University

Cardean University, a premier educational institution founded by UNext Inc.,

offers graduate courses and degrees in business, management and professional

development. Cardean collaborates with some of the world’s leading business

schools, including Columbia, The University of Chicago, Stanford, the London

School of Economics and Political Science and Carnegie Mellon, to bring business

education of high academic quality to learners worldwide through the Internet.

Advancements in cognitive science and technology are incorporated into Cardean

courses to provide a stimulating, interactive and a rewarding learning experience.

Cardean is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education

and Training Council and is authorized to grant degrees by the Illinois Board

of Higher Education.

Contact:

Thomson Learning

Adam Gaber, 203/425-1363

adam.gaber@thomsonlearning.com