Pearson Announces Strategic Advisory Board to Guide Global eLearning Efforts

BOSTON - Pearson, the global leader in educational publishing, has announced the creation of a higher education advisory council to provide strategic guidance for the company's eLearning efforts in the U.S. and abroad.

The Pearson Strategic Advisory Board, comprised of senior executives from a wide variety of higher education institutions both in the U.S. and globally, will provide guidance and feedback to the company as it continues to enhance its eLearning products and services.

"Pearson provides integrated education solutions for our customers around the world," said Jim Behnke, Executive Vice President for Higher Education, International and Professional at Pearson.  "We're constantly working to enhance learning opportunities in the rapidly changing education marketplace. The Pearson advisory board is another step in our efforts to improve student performance and institutional productivity, and we look forward to benefiting from the perspectives of these thought leaders in post-secondary education."

The Pearson Strategic Advisory Board will provide counsel on emerging technologies in education and opportunities to expand Pearson eLearning influence in the developing world.

The Strategic Advisory Board will meet semi-annually.  The first meeting was held in Boston on November 15.  The next meeting will be held in Denver in 2008.

A complete list of board members and a link to a group photograph follows at the end of this release.

About Pearson

Educating 100 million people worldwide, Pearson (NYSE: PSO) is the global leader in educational publishing, providing research-based print and digital programs to help students of all ages learn at their own pace, in their own way.  The company is home to such renowned publishing brands as Prentice Hall, Addison Wesley, Longman, Allyn & Bacon, Benjamin Cummings, Custom Publishing and others.  Pearson recently acquired eCollege, the nation's leading provider of comprehensive eLearning technology and services to the education industry. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

Pearson Strategic Advisory Board Members

Steve Acker
Director, Learning Technologies Research and Innovation, TELR/CIO
Associate Professor of Journalism and Communication
The Ohio State University

Lanny Arvan
CIO and Associate Dean for eLearning, College of Business
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Cathie Atkins
Professor and Associate Dean, College of Sciences
Director of People, Information and Communication Technology
Qualcomm Institute for Innovation and Educational Success
San Diego State University

Brian Douglas
Chief Technology Officer and Director of Operations
UMassOnline

Myk Garn
Executive Director, Kentucky Virtual University

Darcy Hardy
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Executive Director, UT TeleCampus
The University of Texas System

Denise Kirkpatrick
Pro Vice-Chancellor, Learning & Teaching
The Open University

Ed Klonoski
Executive Director
Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium

Joanne Kossuth
Associate Vice President for Development and Chief Information Officer
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Michelle Lamberson
Director, Office of Learning Technology
University of British Columbia

Frederic Litto
President, Brazil Distance Learning Association

Tom Maier
Vice Chancellor for Information and Instructional Technology/CIO
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

Sue McKnight
Director of Libraries and Knowledge Resources
Nottingham Trent University

Anne Moore
Associate Vice President for Learning Technologies and Director of
Information Technologies
Virginia Tech

Robert Olin
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
The University of Alabama

David Poldoian
President and Chief Operating Officer, Online Learning Division
Corinthian Colleges, Inc.

William (Willie) H. Pritchard
Faculty, Academic Coordinator for Distance Learning
DeAnza College

Richard M. Rhodes
President
El Paso Community College

Note: A group photograph of the Pearson Strategic Advisory Board is available at http://www.stanstudio.com/pearson/group.jpg

Further information

Susan Aspey of Pearson,
+1-724-222-0531, or +1-347-421-2473,
Susan.aspey@pearson.com