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.