FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FROM: Nancy Gardner (206) 543-2580
nancylou@u.washington.edu

DATE: December 11, 2006

The Economist Intelligence Unit, publisher of The Economist magazine, has rated the University of Washington’s Executive Education program third of its kind in the world. The UW was given the top rating – excellence– for its highly customized program. The complete rankings can be found in the 18th edition of Which MBA? or available online here.

"With custom programs, in the end, the result is what speaks the loudest," said Jean Choy, the UW Business School's director of executive education. "What we aim for is to deliver not only what we promised, but make every effort to exceed our customer's expectations. This, coupled with the strong desire to develop long-term partnerships, motivates us to better understand our customer's needs."

Custom courses are tailored by business schools for individual companies and often address issues specific to those companies. In selecting the world's top customized programs, The Economist Intelligence Unit asked senior executives what they look for in a custom program. Those nine qualities are:

• Faculty quality
  
• Ability to understand issues specific to one's company
  
• Provider’s amenities
  
• Level of post-course support for participants
  
• Ability to demonstrate impact back in the workplace
  
• Maintaining an ongoing relationship
  
• Cost/value for money
  
• Flexibility/ability to tailor the program
  
• Wide range of expertise
  

With more than 50 years of experience in providing customized executive education, the UW Business School's programs are designed for domestic and international companies seeking top quality education from the premier business school in the region.