Pearson Announces Cite 2011 Scholarship Award Recipients

Awards recognize higher education leaders who demonstrate excellence in innovative online learning strategies

Denver, CO, April 27, 2011 — Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, today announced the recipients of the 2011 Pearson Cite Awards of Excellence. The awards recognize outstanding accomplishments in online higher education using the Pearson LearningStudio platform. As part of efforts to encourage and support innovations that drive student success, Pearson is donating $1,000 to the scholarship fund of the winner’s choice.

The awards are divided into two categories, Excellence in Online Teaching and Excellence in Online Administration. This year’s winner of the Excellence in Online Teaching award is:

• Natalie Borgan, Instructor at Everest College: Ms. Borgan was selected for her dedication to the online learning program at Everest College, where she is a mentor to her colleagues and assisted in creating classes for the Justice Studies program. She has been selected as a “super instructor” at her institution five times. In addition to teaching, Ms. Borgan is a full-time Crime Scene Technician at her local police department. Ms. Borgan has selected the Everest-Kendall fund at Everest College to receive her Pearson award.

This year’s winners of the Excellence in Online Administration award are:

• Dr. Wanda Bradford, Professor and Chair of Online Nursing at the University of North Alabama: Dr. Bradford was selected for her successful efforts to grow the University of North Alabama’s Online Nursing Program, which now has approximately 300 students. In addition, she has developed a mentoring system for faculty members to ensure that they have the skills to enhance students’ online learning experiences. Dr. Bradford has selected the Nursing Scholarship fund at the University of North Alabama to receive her Pearson award.
• Dr. Richard Novak, Vice President for Continuous Education and Distance Learning at Rutgers University, and adjunct graduate faculty member for the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations and the Rutgers Graduate School of Education: Dr. Novak was selected for his work with RutgersOnline, the centralized home for nearly all of the university’s fully online instruction. He has diversified the range of offerings for faculty training and support by including workshops, private consultations, webinars and manuals.

“This year’s Cite award winners have made truly remarkable strides in furthering online learning for the students and faculty at their higher education institutions,” said Matt Leavy, CEO of Pearson eCollege. “We are honored to partner with such dedicated, innovative leaders who are committed to expanding access to learning opportunities and increasing student success.”

In addition to the three faculty and administrative winners, three educational partners were awarded the Dennis Franz partnership award, given to institutions that have been using the Pearson LearningStudio platform for a decade. More than 60 institutions have been honored for their partnership with Pearson LearningStudio in the past four years.

About Pearson eCollege

Pearson eCollege is a trusted and innovative leader in powering online learning programs and part of Pearson, the world’s leading learning company (NYSE: PSO). 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. For more information, visit http://www.pearsonlearningstudio.com.

Media contact: Susan Aspey, susan.aspey(at)pearson(dot)com or (800) 745-8489.