Press Release Headlines

U.S. News University Connection Launches U.S. News University Directory Web Portal

TAMPA, Fla., July 29, 2009 — U.S. News University Connection is pleased to announce the launch of U.S. News University Directory, a concierge service education portal that directly and immediately connects students with traditional universities and accredited online colleges offering certificate programs, associate's programs, bachelor's programs, master's programs and doctorate programs.

Complementing the U.S. News rankings, the long-preferred tool for the assessment of excellence in higher education, the University Directory helps potential college-bound students and working adults further invest in their future by serving as an online marketplace where they can directly interact with more than 2000 colleges and universities.

The new portal provides consumers with a full range of education options, including information about both on-campus and online degree programs. It also provides educational institutions with an opportunity to showcase their degree and certificate programs in a co-branded forum jointly created by U.S. News Media Group, America's Authority on Education(R), and Bisk Education, the country's leading facilitator of online degree and certificate programs from some of America's leading universities.

The University Directory organizes schools in multiple ways, including an alphabetical directory of ranked and unranked schools in various categories. "Not everyone is looking for a ranked school," said Brian Kelly, Editor of U.S. News. "While the University Directory has ranking information, it also provides a resource for many different kinds of students."

The site also includes interactive features and expanded sorting abilities, and presents content about degree and certificate programs from U.S. News & World Report's vast collection of the News You Can Use(R) service journalism that has justifiably made it the leading source of news and information about educational opportunities in the United States. It will also feature informative content focused on providing information to consumers who are actively looking for educational opportunities.

"U.S. News & World Report is the leading resource – both in print and online – for students looking at college as well as adults searching for continuing education opportunities, and we wanted to create a website focused on these consumers and institutions," said Bill Holiber, president of U.S. News Media Group. "With Bisk Education, we found a company focused on online education with state-of-the-art technology and capabilities to create a dynamic education-focused portal. Their proven success in working with colleges and universities to bring their schools' online degree and certificate programs to students made for a natural collaboration."

As part of the partnership, all advertising from colleges and universities at USNews.com and the University Directory will be sold by Bisk under the U.S. News brand. "Higher education institutions need a credible and trustworthy marketplace in which they can showcase educational opportunities and connect with potential students that are suited to their programs," said Nathan Bisk, Founder and Chairman of Bisk Education. "For the past 15 years, we have been at the forefront of creating and executing online and distance-learning marketing and recruitment campaigns for some of the nation's leading universities. We know how to market in the digital age and we understand the need to protect the integrity of each institution's brand while helping them connect with qualified students. The new U.S. News Directory will allow educational institutions the opportunity to meet the ever-increasing demand for university-based education and workforce retraining that is in such demand in today's economy."

For more information on the U.S. News University Directory, visit http://www.usnewsuniversitydirectory.com.

About the U.S. News Media Group

The U.S. News Media Group is a multi-platform digital publisher of news and analysis, which includes the monthly U.S. News & World Report magazine, the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, http://www.usnews.com, and http://www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Money & Business, Education, and Public Service/Opinion, the U.S. News Media Group has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. The U.S. News Media Group's signature franchises include its News You Can Use(R) brand of journalism and its "America's Best" series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, health plans, and more.

About Bisk Education, Inc.

Bisk Education helps educational institutions market online degree and certificate programs. Bisk's University Alliance (UA) division facilitates the promotion and online delivery of associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as professional certificate programs from some of the nation's leading traditional universities and institutions. Programs available from accredited University Alliance partners include project management certificates from Villanova University, negotiation certificates from the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, business management certificates from Tulane University's Freeman School of Business, Internet marketing certificates from the University of San Francisco, online MBA programs from the Florida Institute of Technology, online master's degrees in teaching from The University of Scranton, online Master of Arts in Education degrees from Dominican University and online RN to BSN degrees from Jacksonville University.

Contact:

Matthew Speer, Director, Sales and Marketing
U.S. News University Connection
9417 Princess Palm Avenue
Tampa, FL 33647
866-442-6587
Email

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