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20 Scholarships Developed by MasterCard and U21Global Offered to Women Across Asia/Pacific, South Asia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the UAE

Sydney, 14 May 2008 - MasterCard Worldwide and U21Global today announced the third year of the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program for women in the travel and tourism industry. The program was launched in 2006 to empower women executives through education to realise their full potential. It comprises 20 scholarships for the U21Global Postgraduate Diploma of Business Administration.

“MasterCard understands the value of travel and tourism to the entire Australian economy and wants to ensure that those working in the industry are provided with the best possible support and training needed to provide an outstanding service,” said Leigh Clapham, executive vice president, Australasia, MasterCard Worldwide.

The course can articulate into the University of Nottingham MSc in Tourism and Travel Management which has been developed by Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute, a part of Nottingham University Business School, and U21Global, a leader in quality graduate online education for working executives and professionals.

“Many of the scholarship holders from the last two years are women in middle to senior level management. A number of them have worked up the ranks over the years to get to their current positions. The U21Global Postgraduate Diploma of Business Administration offers them a solid foundation in business management and a recognized qualification which will give them an additional competitive edge as they make the next leap up the corporate ladder,” said Dr. Helen Lange, Dean, Business Management Programs, U21Global.

Since its inauguration, 40 women have been awarded the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program for women in travel and tourism. The scholars are professionals from a broad spectrum of the industry, from hotels and airlines to travel and tour operators.

“I have found the U21Global learning platform a fun and easy way to learn. The discussion board and other online tools used are invaluable as they enable me to gain insights into different cultures, business perspectives and experiences. Studying at U21Global has opened my mind to the global viewpoints of my fellow course mates around the world and has helped me become a better manager overall,” says Lisa Rangitutia, Events Services Manager, The Westin Melbourne Students access online classrooms which provide course content and a variety of interactive communication features, including message boards, threaded discussions and chat rooms. This special online learning community allows scholars to have access to a wide range of speakers and mentors, and creates additional networking opportunities. Studying online also helps scholars better manage their work and educational commitments.

The 20 scholarships are made possible by a grant from MasterCard Worldwide.

“MasterCard is committed to women’s advancement and we would like to encourage women in the travel and tourism industry to upgrade their skills and meet their professional goals through this scholarship program. We’d especially like to encourage more women from the Middle East and South Africa to apply this year,” said Georgette Tan, vice president, Communications, Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.

Organizations from the travel and tourism industry across Asia/Pacific, South Asia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and UAE are invited to nominate female employees who they believe will most benefit from the learning and exposure offered by such a scholarship. MasterCard and U21Global will institute a distinguished panel of judges to choose the 20 worthy recipients. Those interested in more information on the scholarships and course components can log on to U21Global’s website http://www.u21global.edu.sg/mastercard.

Established in 2001, U21Global is the world's premier online Graduate School that offers globally recognised graduate programmes. The graduate school is backed by an international network of leading research-intensive universities in 11 countries. U21Global combines the traditional quality of its founders with innovative modes of delivery on the Internet, providing students with substantial learning advantages, while balancing work, travel and family life.

U21Global has successfully enrolled students from 60 countries around the world including those from Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The graduate programmes draw upon the best practices in online learning and pedagogy and have been approved by U21pedagogica, an independent quality assurance body which ensures that the curriculum meets the rigorous academic standards of all the affiliated universities. For more information on U21Global, please visit our campus at www.u21global.edu.sg

U21Global's affiliated universities include: North America: Tecnológico de Monterrey, University of Virginia; Europe: Lund University; University College Dublin, University of Birmingham, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Nottingham; Asia: Fudan University, Korea University, National University of Singapore, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Delhi, University of Hong Kong, Waseda University; Australia & New Zealand: University of Melbourne, University of Queensland.

MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes over 18 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial institution customers and merchants. Through its family of brands, including MasterCard^®, Maestro^® and Cirrus^®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to http://www.mastercard.com.

Michael Pooley, PPR, mpooley@ppr.com.au 02 9818 9310
Melissa Devine, PPR, mdevine@ppr.com.au 02 9818 0950