CUC Software Targets the School Market With New Programs and
Distribution
PR Newswire - February 18, 1997 10:22
TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- CUC Software, an operating unit
of CUC International Inc. (NYSE: CU), has expanded its focus on the K-12
market with a broad range of new programs and distribution for schools to
successfully integrate technology into the classroom.
The CUC Software family of companies include software publishers such as
Davidson & Associates, Inc., Knowledge Adventure and Sierra On-Line; software
resellers such as Educational Resources; and several third-party software
developers. CUC Software consolidates the sales, distribution, finance,
accounting and overall management of these divisions, as well as any new
brands the company may acquire or develop.
Said Chris McLeod, CEO of CUC Software, "The school market is an important
area of focus for CUC Software. The combined resources of so many CUC
Software companies allow us to offer educators, teachers and school districts
a variety of high-quality, affordable programs, products and distribution. We
are excited about the opportunities, and the school market can look forward to
even more innovative new programs in the months to come."
New Programs and Products Targeted to the School Market
CUC Software is proud to announce:
* Educational Resources, the largest reseller of educational software into
the school market, has signed statewide Partnership Plus Program memberships
with Michigan, Washington, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Indiana and
Colorado. Participation in this program allows individual schools and
districts to purchase hundreds of popular software titles under a statewide
license at substantially reduced prices.
* CUC's "Youth Fund-Raising" program has added software from Davidson &
Associates, Inc., Sierra On-Line and Knowledge Adventure to its mix of
products available for school fund-raising.
* Davidson & Associates, Inc. has introduced several new educational
titles in academic subjects ranging from science and geometry to English as a
second language, each one accompanied by extensive teacher materials.
Continuing a focus on software "tools" -- that help students develop "real-
world" skills and can be used across a wide range of subjects -- Sierra On-
Line just launched the Macintosh version of PrintArtist 4.0, an easy-to-use
graphic design program ideally suited for use in the classroom.
* Over 150 site licenses for Davidson software have been donated to the
Los Angeles County Office of Education, benefiting thousands of Los Angeles-
area students. As part of that donation, hundreds of teachers have been
trained on the software.
* A series of seminars focused on professional development are now being
conducted nationwide by Educational Resources. The Professional Development
Association for Educators Program (PDAE) offers educators practical methods
for implementing literacy, English-As-A-Second Language and other programs
that meet a broad range of student needs. A dozen more will take place around
the country during this year.
* Via Davidson & Associates' Affiliated Label Program, publishers
including Little Planet Publishing, Maris Multimedia and DNA Multimedia are
now offering award-winning multimedia products such as The Little Planet
Literacy series, Solar System Explorer and The Silk Road to the school market.
These publishers' products are notable examples of the impact of multimedia in
core curriculum areas such as world history and science.
New Distribution to the School Market
In addition to these new programs and products, CUC Software also
announced that Fas-Track Computer Products, Inc., one of the fastest growing
K-12 educational technology resellers, has joined the CUC Software family of
companies. Fas-Track sells over 7,000 products via direct-mail catalogs to
K-12 schools, along with staff development and toll-free technical support.
Based in Sunbury, Ohio, Fas-Track continues operations under the Fas-Track
name.
Said Martha Connellan, CUC Software's vice president of school products,
"Davidson & Associates' acquisition of Educational Resources proved integral
to Davidson's success in the school market. We believe that Fas-Track offers
similarly exciting opportunities to solidify CUC Software's leadership in the
school market.
Fas-Track has grown an average of 25% over the last six years, with
consistent profitability, and has earned a reputation as a provider of first-
class customer service."
Tony Ziebel, president of Fas-Track, said, "We're very excited to join the
CUC Software family of companies. Industry sales to K-12 schools have grown
at an annual rate of over 20% during the last several years, and this trend is
expected to continue. Our joint distribution force will enable us to
successfully meet these increasing market demands and continually improve our
customer service."
New Leadership for CUC Software Sales to the School Market
Behind these new programs, products and distribution is Martha Connellan,
CUC's recently appointed vice president of school sales. In this role, she
oversees sales of Davidson & Associates, Sierra On-Line and Knowledge
Adventure software into the school market, working closely with product
development and marketing at these companies. In addition, Connellan provides
leadership for Educational Resources, the single largest supplier of
educational software to over 16,000 school districts nationwide.
Said McLeod, "Martha's background includes almost 20 years in educational
technology in companies including Davidson & Associates, Computer Curriculum
Corporation, and Hoffman Educational Systems, as well as over seven years as a
teacher. This combination of experience makes her ideally suited to provide
the vision and leadership for CUC Software in the school market."
Working with Connellan is Bob Dumke, president of Educational Resources.
Dumke has been at Educational Resources since 1993, and was recently promoted
from the position of chief financial officer. As president, Dumke is
responsible for the overall management of the company, and for overseeing its
Distribution and Curriculum Advantage profit centers. His background includes
20 years of experience in financial and operations management.
CUC Software is a division of CUC International, Inc. (NYSE: CU), a
technology-driven retail and membership services company that provides access
to travel, shopping, auto, dining, home improvement, financial and other
services to 63.8 million consumers worldwide.
SOURCE CUC Software
CONTACT: Linda Duttenhaver, 310-793-0600, ext. 1230, or
lduttenhaver@davd.com, or Jennifer Johnson, 310-793-0600, ext. 1145, or
jjohnson@davd.com, both of Davidson & Associates, Inc. |
