FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 30, 2005

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Steve Burke
(703) 683-5004 ext. 108
sburke@crc4pr.com

Maria Hatzikonstantinou
(703) 683-5004 ext. 131
maria@crc4pr.com

San Francisco, CA - August 30, 2005 - Visa USA announced today that the University of San Diego's Division of Continuing Education is offering two online graduate level money management courses for elementary and secondary teachers designed to help them improve their financial literacy skills while earning graduate level extension credits. The courses, developed by the University of San Diego, will incorporate Practical Money Skills for Life, Visa's award-winning financial education program.

One of the major benefits of these two classes, called Personal Economics for Teachers (EDU 590EA) and Teaching Money Management (EDU 590EB), is that the classes help teachers fulfill their continuing education requirements, which is mandatory in many states. In fact, California law requires all teachers hired after 1985 to complete 150 hours of continuing education classes, every five years.

“Visa is proud to be working with the University of San Diego to give educators the additional tools and resources they need to help teach young people about the importance of personal financial management,“ said Rosetta Jones, vice president, Visa USA. “While most children get their first money management lessons at home, that learning must continue in the classroom. These courses will help ensure that students are in a learning environment where they are getting the very best education on how to become financially responsible adults,“ added Jones.

Both courses are taught online by an instructor, and they can be taken simultaneously. Students have 60 days to complete the online portion of the course and are given up to six months to complete additional assignments. Teachers who successfully complete each course earn one semester unit of graduate level extension credit. The cost is $50 per class.

“Understanding that teachers have to balance the demands of teaching and fulfilling their re-certification requirements, we wanted to make sure that they were not spending time running to and from class,“ said Rennie Block, Assistant Director and Manager of Education Programs for the University of San Diego Division of Continuing Education. “They are designed to be taken in the comfort of a fun, flexible and relaxing environment.“

The Personal Economics for Teachers class is very unique in that it focuses on helping teachers hone their own personal finance skills. Teachers are given the opportunity to develop a personalized money management plan that will help them achieve either a short or long-term financial goal, such as saving to take a family vacation or to start a new business.

“Teaching financial literacy is not easy for many teachers particularly if they have concerns about their own financial situation. We want to help them remove this mental roadblock so educators can have an added boost of confidence in the classroom which they can, in turn, pass onto their students,“ said Ginny Horning, Coordinator for the University of San Diego's Division of Continuing Education

The second course, Teaching Money Management, helps teachers find new, creative and innovative ways to incorporate personal finance learning in the classroom.

The content portion of each course is based on the teacher training component of Visa's Practical Money Skills for Life financial education program. Available at no cost at www.practicalmoneyskills.com, Practical Money Skills for Life is designed for teachers, parents, students and consumers of all ages and financial needs. It is complete with lesson plans broken down by age group, presentation materials, in-class activities, quizzes and more. It's also mapped to state educational standards ensuring that activities not only teach important life skills but also keep classes on target to meet state requirements.

“We are thankful for all of the help Visa USA has given us in helping to design these courses. We were certainly looking to an established, successful and comprehensive teaching model that we found in Practical Money Skills for Life,“ added Block.

Teachers interested in taking these courses can register today by visiting www.usd-online.org/moneymgmt or calling 1(888) 321-6658.

About Visa USA:

Worldwide, cardholders in over 150 countries carry more than 1 billion Visa-branded cards, accounting for more than $3 trillion in annual transaction volume.

Visa offers a trusted, reliable and convenient way to access and mobilize financial resources - anytime, anywhere, anyway.

About the University of San Diego:
The University of San Diego is a Catholic institution of higher learning chartered in 1949; the school enrolls some 7,200 students and is known for its commitment to teaching, the liberal arts, the formation of values and community service. The establishment of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies will bring the University's total number of schools and colleges to six. Other academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences and the schools of Business Administration, Education, Law and Nursing and Health Sciences.

# # #