Denver, CO – October 11, 2010 – Arizona State University (ASU) announced today the selection of ESM and Pearson to deliver management services and technologies that will support student enrollment, engagement and retention in its online degree programs. The collaboration allows ASU Online to bring more educational opportunities to students, as well as more effectively serve these students throughout the education lifecycle, delivering the highest quality student experience from start to finish.

“When it comes to learning online, there is a direct correlation between quality services and student success,” said Philip Regier, Executive Vice Provost and Dean of ASU Online. “The reality is that learning online is very demanding and most students already have family and work responsibilities. The more support they receive, the better their learning outcomes and overall experience will be.”

ESM will deliver services across the student lifecycle, including marketing, admissions and student support. The company will help ASU Online identify interested students, as well as provide recruitment and enrollment services to guide students through the admissions process. Additionally, ESM’s retention support services will help students stay engaged, overcome obstacles and stay in school through graduation.

Under the agreement, ASU faculty will continue to design and teach every online course, as well as establish and enforce all instructional and academic policies. Pearson will provide Pearson LearningStudio, which offers a personalized learning environment built on an advanced, scalable and dependable Software as a Service platform. Pearson also will be responsible for analyzing and reporting on online student trends and performance, as well as tracking the achievement of learning objectives and goals.

“Our innovative approach with ASU Online and ESM not only expands educational opportunities, but it does so in a way that will enhance the experience for students and drive stronger learning outcomes,” said Matt Leavy, CEO of Pearson eCollege. “As the school’s online programs continue to grow and evolve, our comprehensive solution will enable ASU Online to stay ahead of the changing needs of its students.”

“As more students look to online learning, we need to make sure they not only have access to in-demand programs, but that they also have the support necessary to thrive in these programs,” said Doug Kelsall, CEO of ESM. “When you look at the entire student lifecycle, there are so many opportunities to interact with students to ensure their success. We look forward to working with ASU Online and Pearson to make this success a reality for students.”

The ASU contract marks the first collaborative initiative between ESM and Pearson. The two companies have formalized a partnership that will allow schools across the country to build and grow online programs and deliver a higher level of services across the student lifecycle. Schools will be able to drive better learning outcomes by keeping students engaged and retained throughout their educational experience.

About Pearson eCollege

Pearson eCollege is a trusted and innovative leader in powering personalized online learning programs and a part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the global leader in education, technology and services. Pearson eCollege’s flagship product—Pearson LearningStudio—represents the next generation in learning management systems and provides a comprehensive, flexible and fully supported cloud computing environment for online personalized learning in higher education. Pearson eCollege’s SaaS-based education solutions advance, improve and measure the teaching and learning experience in a vast range of educational institutions and programs. For more information on Pearson eCollege, please visit www.pearsonlearningstudio.com.

About Pearson

Pearson has global-reach and market leading businesses in education, business and consumer publishing (NYSE: PSO).

About ESM

ESM provides student lifecycle solutions to help institutions enroll, graduate and place students. Leveraging its highly trained people, performance-driven processes and advanced technology, the company complements an institution’s in-house teams. As a premier Business Process Outsourcer, ESM operates the largest education-only call center in the country with more than 700 employees, delivering rapid, cost-effective lead processing, high contact rates and strong conversion rates. Additionally, ESM provides student retention solutions to improve graduation rates, as well as career placement services to help students succeed professionally. To learn more, please visit http://www.esm-sls.com.

# # #