CARY, N.C., June 16, 2006--SAS, the leader in business intelligence, announced today that beginning this fall, the University of Memphis will offer an undergraduate certificate in data analysis and programming using SAS(R) software. This program is the first undergraduate certificate in SAS to be offered in the Americas and is one of only three such programs available worldwide.

Open to all undergraduate majors at the university, the program consists of three newly developed three-credit-hour courses and one statistics prerequisite. The new courses - Introduction to Data Structures and Cleaning; Programming Concepts and Techniques; and Data to Information - will provide students with the SAS skills they need to turn large volumes of data into information that can be used to make decisions.

"In every industry around the world, there's a dire need for more employees with SAS expertise," said Mark David Milliron, Ph.D., Vice President of the SAS Education and Medical Practice and a lifelong educator. "We are ecstatic that the University of Memphis not only recognizes this need, but that it's pioneering this effort to provide the global marketplace with a steady stream of graduates who know SAS."

"Employers increasingly are seeking employees who know how to transform data into information," said Julie Heath, Ph.D., Chair and Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Memphis. "This program will give our graduates the competitive edge they need to succeed in today's turbulent job market. More than 25 companies in Memphis alone use SAS to handle their analysis needs."

Housed at the university's Fogelman College of Business and Economics and sponsored by the economics department, the program also offers benefits to students who are considering attending graduate school, as many disciplines use SAS as their analytical tool of choice. Completing this certificate program likely will give students an advantage in the rigorous competition for graduate assistantships.

The SAS Academic Program provides a wide array of consulting expertise and resources that can help educational institutions effectively integrate SAS into their curricula, including as a comprehensive certificate program or degree or as an individual course. To learn more, visit www.sas.com/teaching.

About SAS

SAS is the leader in business intelligence software and services. Customers at 40,000 sites use SAS software to improve performance through insight into vast amounts of data, resulting in faster, more accurate business decisions; more profitable relationships with customers and suppliers; compliance with governmental regulations; research breakthroughs; and better products. Only SAS offers leading data integration, intelligence storage, advanced analytics and traditional business intelligence applications within a comprehensive enterprise intelligence platform. Since 1976, SAS has been giving customers around the world The Power to Know(R).

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Contacts 
SAS
Elaine Hamill, 919-531-1891
Elaine.Hamill@sas.com