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Exhibit 10.44    
  


Nonemployee Directors and Consultants

Stock Incentive Program

(as amended and restated)


Edwards Lifesciences Corporation  


 November 2002  






  



 
 

Contents    
  



	Article 1.	 	Establishment, Objectives, and Duration	 	1
	

Article 2.	
 	

Definitions	
 	

1
	

Article 3.	
 	

Administration	
 	

3
	

Article 4.	
 	

Eligibility and Participation	
 	

4
	

Article 5.	
 	

Shares Subject to the Program	
 	

4
	

Article 6.	
 	

Stock Options	
 	

5
	

Article 7.	
 	

Restricted Stock	
 	

7
	

Article 8.	
 	

Beneficiary Designation	
 	

8
	

Article 9.	
 	

Deferrals	
 	

8
	

Article 10.	
 	

Rights of Nonemployee Directors and Consultants	
 	

8
	

Article 11.	
 	

Change in Control	
 	

9
	

Article 12.	
 	

Amendment, Modification, and Termination	
 	

9
	

Article 13.	
 	

Compliance with Applicable Law and Withholding	
 	

9
	

Article 14.	
 	

Indemnification	
 	

10
	

Article 15.	
 	

Successors	
 	

10
	

Article 16.	
 	

Legal Construction	
 	

10




i






  



Edwards Lifesciences Corporation  


 Nonemployee Directors and Consultants Stock Incentive Program

(as amended and restated)  


  
 

    Article 1. Establishment, Objectives, and Duration    
  



        1.1    Establishment of the Program.    Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, a Delaware corporation (hereinafter referred
to as the "Company"), hereby amends and restates the incentive compensation plan established April 1, 2000 and known as the "Edwards Lifesciences Corporation Nonemployee Directors and
Consultants Stock Incentive Program" (hereinafter, as amended and restated, referred to as the "Program"), as set forth in this document. The Program permits the grant of Nonqualified Stock Options
and Restricted Stock. 



        The
Program became effective as of April 1, 2000 (the "Effective Date") and shall remain in effect as provided in Section 1.3 hereof. The Program was amended and restated
most recently as of November 13, 2002. 


        1.2    Objectives of the Program.    The objectives of the Program are to optimize the profitability and growth of the
Company through long-term incentives which are consistent with the Company's goals and which link the personal interests of Participants to those of the Company's stockholders. The Program
is further intended to provide flexibility to the Company in its ability to motivate, attract, and retain the services of Participants who make significant contributions to the Company's success and
to allow Participants to share in the success of the Company. 


        1.3    Duration of the Program.    The Program shall commence on the Effective Date, as described in
Section 1.1 hereof, and shall remain in effect, subject to the right of the Board to amend or terminate
the Program at any time pursuant to Article 12 hereof, until all Shares subject to it shall have been purchased or acquired according to the Program's provisions. However, in no event may an
Award be granted under the Program on or after April 1, 2010. 


 
 

Article 2. Definitions    
  


        Whenever used in the Program, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below, and when the meaning is intended, the initial letter of the word shall
be capitalized: 


        2.1    "Annual Retainer" means the fixed annual fee of a Nonemployee Director in effect on the first day of the year in which
such Annual Retainer is payable for services to be rendered as a Nonemployee Director of the Company. The Annual Retainer does not include meeting or chairmanship fees. 


        2.2    "Award" means, individually or collectively, a grant under this Program of Nonqualified Stock Options and Restricted
Stock. 


        2.3    "Award Agreement" means an agreement entered into by the Company and each Participant setting forth the terms and
provisions applicable to Awards granted under this Program. 


        2.4    "Board" or "Board of Directors" means the Board of Directors of the
Company. 


        2.5    "Change in Control" of the Company shall mean the occurrence of any one of the following events: 



	(a)
	Any
"Person", as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act (other than the Company, any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the
Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company, 



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and
any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or such proportionately owned corporation), is or becomes the "beneficial owner" (as defined in
Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing thirty percent (30%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company's then
outstanding securities; or 



	(b)
	During
any period of not more than twenty-four (24) months, individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the Board of Directors of the Company, and
any new director (other than a director designated by a Person who has entered into an agreement with the Company to effect a transaction described in Sections 2.5(a), 2.5(c), or 2.5(d) of this
Section 2.5) whose election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company's stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the directors then still in
office who either were directors at the beginning of the period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority thereof;
or



	(c)
	The
consummation of a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other entity, other than: (i) a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the
Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity) more than sixty percent
(60%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or (ii) a merger or consolidation
effected to implement a recapitalization of the Company (or similar transaction) in which no Person acquires more than thirty percent (30%) of the combined voting power of the Company's then
outstanding securities; or



	(d)
	The
Company's stockholders approve a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company, or an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all
of the Company's assets (or any transaction having a similar effect. 




        2.6    "Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time. 



        2.7    "Committee" means the Compensation and Planning Committee and any successor thereto or any other committee appointed by
the Board to administer Awards to Participants, as specified in Article 3 herein. 


        2.8    "Company" means Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and any successor thereto as provided in
Article 15 herein. 


        2.9    "Consultant" means an individual who is providing or has provided services to the Company or any Subsidiary of the
Company but who is not an Employee or a member of the Board, and who does not participate in the Edwards Lifesciences Corporation Long-Term Stock Incentive Compensation Program. 


        2.10    "Disability" shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in the Participant's governing long-term
disability plan, or if no such plan exists, at the discretion of the Board. 


        2.11    "Effective Date" shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 1.1 hereof. 



        2.12    "Employee" means an employee of the Company or of a Subsidiary of the Company. 


        2.13    "Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time, or any successor act thereto. 


        2.14    "Fair Market Value" means, at any date, the closing sale price on the principal securities exchange on which the Shares
are traded on the last previous day on which a sale was reported. 


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        2.15    "Insider" shall mean an individual who is, on the relevant date, an officer, director or beneficial owner of more than
ten percent (10%) of any class of the Company's equity securities that is registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, all as defined under Section 16 of the Exchange Act. 



        2.16    "Nonemployee Director" means a member of the Company's Board who is not an Employee of the Company. 


        2.17    "Nonqualified Stock Option" or "Option" means an option to purchase
Shares granted under Article 6 herein and which is not intended to meet the requirements of Code Section 422. 


        2.18    "Option Price" means the price at which a Share may be purchased by a Participant pursuant to an Option. 



        2.19    "Participant" means a Nonemployee Director or Consultant who has been selected to receive an Award or who has
outstanding an Award granted under the Program. 


        2.20    "Period of Restriction" means the period during which the transfer of Shares of Restricted Stock is limited in some way
(based on the passage of time, the achievement of performance goals, or upon the occurrence of other events as determined by the Committee, in its discretion), and the Shares are subject to a
substantial risk of forfeiture, as provided in Article 7 herein. 


        2.21    "Restricted Stock" means an Award granted to a Participant pursuant to Article 7 herein. 


        2.22    "Shares" means the shares of common stock of the Company. 


        2.23    "Subsidiary" means any business, whether or not incorporated, in which the Company beneficially owns, directly or
indirectly through another entity or entities, securities or interests representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities or voting interests of such
business. 


 
 

Article 3. Administration    
  


        3.1    General.    The Program shall be administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board, or by any other
Committee appointed by the Board. Any Committee administering the Program shall be comprised entirely of directors. The members of the Committee shall be appointed from time to time by and shall serve
at the sole discretion of the Board. Members of the Committee may participate in the Program. The Committee shall have the authority to delegate administrative duties to officers, Employees, or
directors of the Company; provided that the Committee shall not be able to delegate its authority with respect to granting Awards to Insiders. 


        3.2    Authority of the Committee.    Except as limited by law or by the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of the
Company, and subject to the provisions of the Program, the Committee shall have the authority to: (a) interpret the provisions of the Program, and prescribe, amend, and rescind rules and
procedures relating to the Program; (b) grant Awards under the Program, in such forms and amounts and subject to such terms and conditions as it deems appropriate, including, without
limitation, Awards which are made in combination with or in tandem with other Awards (whether or not contemporaneously granted) or compensation or in lieu of current or deferred compensation;
(c) subject to Article 12, modify the terms of, cancel and reissue, or repurchase outstanding Awards; (d) prescribe the form of agreement, certificate or other instrument
evidencing any Award under the Program; (e) correct any defect or omission and reconcile any inconsistency in the Program or in any Award hereunder; (f) to design Awards to satisfy
requirements to make such Awards tax-advantaged to Participants in any jurisdiction or for any other reason that the Company desires; and (g) make all other determinations and take
all other actions as it deems necessary or desirable for the administration of the Program; provided, however, that it is the Company's intent that no outstanding Option will be canceled for the
purpose of reissuing such Option to a Participant at a lower exercise 


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price. The determination of the Committee on matters within its authority shall be conclusive and binding on the Company and all other persons. The Committee shall comply with all applicable laws in
administering the Plan. As permitted by law (and subject to Section 3.1 herein), the Committee may delegate its authority as identified herein. 



        3.3    Decisions Binding.    All determinations and decisions made by the Committee pursuant to the provisions of the
Program and all related orders and resolutions of the Board shall be final, conclusive and binding on all persons, including the Company, its stockholders, directors, Employees, Consultants,
Participants, and their estates and beneficiaries. 


 
 

Article 4. Eligibility and Participation    
  



        4.1    Eligibility.    Persons eligible to participate in this Program shall include all Nonemployee Directors and
Consultants. 


        4.2    Actual Participation.    Subject to the provisions of the Program, the Committee may, from time to time, select
from all eligible Nonemployee Directors and Consultants those to whom Awards shall be granted and shall determine the nature and amount of each Award. 



 
 

Article 5. Shares Subject to the Program    
  


        5.1    Number of Shares Available for Grants.    Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 5.4 herein, the
number of Shares hereby reserved for delivery to Participants under the Program shall be three hundred thousand (300,000) Shares. Subject to the restrictions for Nonemployee Directors set forth in
Articles 6 and 7, the Committee shall determine the appropriate methodology for calculating the number of Shares issued pursuant to the Program. 



        5.2    Type of Shares.    Shares issued under the Program in connection with Options may be authorized and unissued
Shares or issued Shares held as treasury Shares. Shares issued under the Program in connection with Restricted Stock shall be issued Shares held as
treasury Shares; provided, however, that authorized and unissued Shares may be issued in connection with Restricted Stock to the extent that the Committee determines that past services of the
Participant constitute adequate consideration for at least the par value thereof. 



        5.3    Reuse of Shares.    



	(a)
	General. In the event of the exercise or termination (by reason of forfeiture, expiration, cancellation, surrender or otherwise) of any
Award under the Program, that number of Shares that was subject to the Award but not delivered shall again be available as Awards under the Program.



	(b)
	Restricted Stock. In the event that Shares are delivered under the Program as Restricted Stock and are thereafter forfeited or
reacquired by the Company pursuant to rights reserved upon the grant thereof, such forfeited or reacquired Shares shall again be available as Awards under the Program.



	(c)
	Limitation. Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 5.3(a) or 5.3(b) above, the following Shares shall not be available for
reissuance under the Program: (i) Shares which are withheld from any Award or payment under the Program to satisfy tax withholding obligations; (ii) Shares which are surrendered to
fulfill tax obligations incurred under the Program; and (iii) Shares which are surrendered in payment of the Option Price upon the exercise of an Option. 




        5.4    Adjustments in Authorized Shares.    In the event of any change in corporate capitalization, such as a stock
split, or a corporate transaction, such as any merger, consolidation, separation, including a spin-off, or other distribution of stock or property of the Company, any reorganization 


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(whether or not such reorganization comes within the definition of such term in Code Section 368) or any partial or complete liquidation of the Company, such adjustment shall be made in the
number and class of Shares which may be delivered under Section 5.1, in the number and class of and/or price of Shares subject to outstanding Awards granted under the Program, and in the Award
limits set forth in Section 5.1, as shall be determined to be appropriate and equitable by the Board, in its sole discretion, to prevent dilution or enlargement of rights; provided, however,
that the number of Shares subject to any Award shall always be a whole number. In a stock-for-stock acquisition of the Company, the Committee may, in its sole discretion,
substitute securities of another issuer for any Shares subject to outstanding Awards. 


 
 

Article 6. Stock Options    
  



        6.1    Grant of Options.    Subject to the discretion of the Committee and the terms and provisions of the Program,
during the period beginning January 1, 2001 and ending April 1, 2010, each Nonemployee Director shall receive annually Options to purchase ten thousand (10,000) Shares, effective as of
the day following each annual meeting of the Company's stockholders (but subject to any vesting provisions or other restrictions determined by the Committee). Aside from the foregoing annual grants
and any
grants pursuant to Section 6.11 of the Program, no additional Options shall be granted to Nonemployee Directors under the Program. 



        Subject
to the terms and provisions of the Program, Options may be granted to Consultants in such number, and upon such terms, and at any time and from time to time as shall be
determined by the Committee. 


        If
all or any portion of the exercise price or taxes incurred in connection with the exercise are paid by delivery (or, in the case of payment of taxes, by withholding of Shares) of
other Shares of the Company, a Participant's Options may provide for the grant of replacement Options. All Options under the Program shall be granted in the form of nonqualified stock options as no
Option under the Program may be granted in the form of an incentive stock option as defined under the provisions of Code Section 422. 



        6.2    Award Agreement.    Each Option grant shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the Option
Price, the duration of the Option, the number of Shares to which the Option pertains, and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine. 


        6.3    Option Price.    The Option Price for each grant of an Option under this Program shall be at least equal to one
hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date the Option is granted. 



        6.4    Duration of Options.    Each Option granted to a Participant shall expire at such time as the Committee shall
determine at the time of grant; provided, however, that no Option shall be exercisable later than the tenth (10th) anniversary date of its grant. 


        6.5    Exercise of Options.    Options granted under this Article 6 shall be exercisable at such times and be
subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Committee shall in each instance approve, which need not be the same for each grant or for each Participant. 



        6.6    Payment.    Options granted under this Article 6 shall be exercised by the delivery of a written notice
of exercise (or such other form of notice as the Company may specify) to the Company, setting forth the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is to be exercised, accompanied by full
payment for the Shares (or a satisfactory "cashless exercise" notice). 


        The
Option Price upon exercise of any Option shall be payable to the Company in full either: (a) in cash or its equivalent; (b) by tendering previously acquired Shares (by
either actual delivery or attestation) having an aggregate Fair Market Value at the time of exercise equal to the total Option 


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Price (provided that the Shares which are tendered must have been held by the Participant for at least six (6) months, or such shorter or longer period, if any, as is necessary to avoid
variable accounting treatment); (c) by a cashless exercise, to the extent permitted under Federal Reserve Board's Regulation T and other applicable law, and subject to such procedures
and limitations as the Company may specify from time to time; (d) by any other means which the Board determines to be consistent with the Program's purpose and applicable law; or (e) by
a combination of two or more of (a) through (d). 


        Subject
to any governing rules or regulations, including cashless exercise procedures, as soon as practicable after receipt of a notification of exercise and full payment (or a
satisfactory "cashless exercise" notice), the Company shall cause to be issued and delivered to the Participant, in certificate form or otherwise, evidence of the Shares purchased under the Option(s). 


        6.7    Restrictions on Share Transferability.    The Committee may impose such restrictions on any Shares acquired
pursuant to the exercise of an Option granted under this Article 6 as it may deem advisable, including, without limitation, restrictions under applicable federal securities laws, under the
requirements of any stock exchange or market upon which such Shares are then listed and/or traded, and under any blue sky or state securities laws applicable to such Shares. 


        6.8    Termination of Directorship or Service.    Each Participant's Option Award Agreement shall set forth the extent
to which the Participant shall have the right to exercise the Option following termination of the Participant's service to the Company as a Nonemployee Director or Consultant. Such provisions shall be
determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, shall be included in the Award Agreement entered into with each Participant, need not be uniform among all Options issued pursuant to this
Article 6, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination. 


        6.9    Nontransferability of Options.    Except as otherwise provided in a Participant's Award Agreement, no Option
granted under this Article 6 may be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. Further, except
as otherwise provided in a Participant's Award Agreement, all Options granted to a Participant under this Article 6 shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant. 



        6.10    Substitution of Cash.    Unless otherwise provided in a Participant's Award Agreement, and notwithstanding any
provision in the Program to the contrary (including but not limited to Section 12.3), in the event of a Change in Control in which the Company's stockholders holding Shares receive
consideration other than shares of common stock that are registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, the Committee shall have the authority to require that any outstanding Option be
surrendered to the Company by a Participant for cancellation by the Company, with the Participant receiving in exchange a cash payment from the Company within ten (10) days of the Change in
Control. Such cash payment shall be equal to the number of Shares under Option, multiplied by the excess, if any, of the greater of (i) the highest per Share price offered to stockholders in
any transaction whereby the Change
in Control takes place, or (ii) the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date the Change in Control occurs, over the Option Price. 


        6.11    Elective Grants to Nonemployee Directors in Lieu of Annual Retainer.    Subject to the terms and provisions of
the Program and any other restrictions set out by the Committee in its sole discretion, the Committee may permit each Nonemployee Director to elect to receive all or a portion of his or her Annual
Retainer in the form of Options to be issued as of the first day on which such Annual Retainer is otherwise due and payable (the "Conversion Date") and using the Fair Market Value of a Share as of the
Conversion Date as the Option Price of the Options. 


        If
deferral elections are permitted by the Committee, each irrevocable election shall be made in accordance with such rules as the Committee may determine in its sole discretion. Except
as may otherwise be determined by the Committee, in the event of such an election, the number of Options 


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which an electing Nonemployee Director shall receive shall be determined by dividing that portion of the Annual Retainer as to which the election is being made by the Fair Market Value of a Share on
the Conversion Date and multiplying the quotient by four (4). In the event the preceding formula would result in a fractional Share under the Option being issued, the portion of the deferred Annual
Retainer attributable to such fractional Share will be refunded to the Nonemployee Director in cash instead of being converted into such fractional Share. 


        Any
portion of a Nonemployee Director's Annual Retainer for which an election has not been made pursuant to this Section 6.11, shall be paid in cash to such Nonemployee Director
at such time or times as payments thereof are customarily made by the Company. 


 
 

Article 7. Restricted Stock    
  


        7.1    Grant of Restricted Stock.    Subject to the terms and provisions of the Program, each Nonemployee Director
shall be granted five thousand (5,000) Shares of Restricted Stock effective as of the later of (i) April 1, 2000, or (ii) the date of such Nonemployee Director's first election to
the Board. 


        Subject
to the terms and provisions of the Program, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Shares of Restricted Stock to Consultants in such amounts as the Committee
shall determine. 


        7.2    Restricted Stock Agreement.    Each Restricted Stock grant shall be evidenced by a Restricted Stock Award
Agreement that shall specify the Period(s) of Restriction, the number of Shares of Restricted Stock granted, and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine. 



        7.3    Restriction on Transferability.    Except as provided in this Article 7, the Shares of Restricted Stock
granted herein may not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated until the end of the applicable Period of Restriction established by the Committee and specified
in the Restricted Stock Award Agreement, or upon earlier satisfaction of any other conditions, as specified by the Committee in its sole discretion and set forth in the Restricted Stock Award
Agreement. All rights with respect to the Restricted Stock granted to a Participant under the Program shall be available during his or her lifetime only to such Participant. 



        7.4    Other Restrictions.    The Committee shall impose such other conditions and/or restrictions on any Shares of
Restricted Stock granted pursuant to the Program as it may deem advisable including, without limitation, any or all of the following: 



	(a)
	A
required period of service with the Company, as determined by the Committee, prior to the vesting of Shares of Restricted Stock.



	(b)
	A
requirement that Participants forfeit (or in the case of Shares sold to a Participant, resell to the Company at his or her cost) all or a part of Shares of Restricted Stock in the
event of termination of his or her service as a Nonemployee Director or Consultant during the Period of Restriction.



	(c)
	A
prohibition against such Participants' dissemination of any secret or confidential information belonging to the Company, or the solicitation by Participants of the Company's
Employees for employment by another entity. 




        Shares
of Restricted Stock awarded pursuant to the Program shall be registered in the name of the Participant and if such Shares are certificated, in the sole discretion of the
Committee, such certificate may be deposited in a bank designated by the Committee or with the Company. The Committee may require a stock power endorsed in blank with respect to Shares of Restricted
Stock whether or not certificated. 


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        Except
as otherwise provided in this Article 7, Shares of Restricted Stock covered by each Restricted Stock grant made under the Program shall become freely transferable (subject
to any restrictions under applicable securities law) by the Participant after the last day of the applicable Period of Restriction. 



        7.5    Voting Rights.    Unless the Committee determines otherwise, Participants holding Shares of Restricted Stock
issued hereunder shall be entitled to exercise full voting rights with respect to those Shares during the Period of Restriction. 


        7.6    Dividends and Other Distributions.    Unless the Committee determines otherwise, during the Period of
Restriction, Participants holding Shares of Restricted Stock issued hereunder shall be entitled to regular cash dividends paid with respect to such Shares. The Committee may apply any restrictions to
the dividends that the Committee deems appropriate. 



        7.7    Termination of Directorship or Service.    Each Restricted Stock Award Agreement shall set forth the extent to
which the Participant shall have the right to vest in previously unvested Shares of Restricted Stock following termination of the Participant's service to the Company as a Nonemployee Director or
Consultant. Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, shall be included in the Award Agreement entered into with each Participant, need not be uniform among all
Shares of Restricted Stock issued pursuant to the Program, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination. 



 
 

Article 8. Beneficiary Designation    
  


        Each Participant under the Program may, from time to time, name any beneficiary or beneficiaries (who may be named contingently or successively) to whom any
benefit under the Program is to be paid in case of his or her death before he or she receives any or all of such benefit. Each such designation shall revoke all prior designations by the same
Participant, shall be in a form prescribed by the Company, and will be effective only when filed by the Participant in writing with the Company during the Participant's lifetime. In the absence of any
such designation, benefits remaining unpaid at the Participant's death shall be paid to the Participant's estate. 


 
 

Article 9. Deferrals    
  


        The Committee may permit or require a Participant to defer such Participant's receipt of the payment of cash or the delivery of Shares that would otherwise be due
to such Participant by virtue of the exercise of an Option, or the lapse or waiver of restrictions with respect to Restricted Stock. If any such deferral election is required or permitted, the
Committee shall, in its sole discretion, establish rules and procedures for such payment deferrals. 


 
 

Article 10. Rights of Nonemployee Directors and Consultants    
  


        10.1    Directorship or Provision of Services.    Nothing in the Program or any Award Agreement shall interfere with
or limit in any way the right of the Company to terminate at any time any Participant's service to the Company as a Nonemployee Director or as a Consultant, nor confer upon any Participant any right
to continue in the service of the Company. 


        10.2    Participation.    No Nonemployee Director or Consultant shall have the right to be selected to receive an
Award under this Program, or, having been so selected, to be selected to receive a future Award. 


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Article 11. Change in Control    
  


        Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control and notwithstanding the terms of any Award Agreement, unless otherwise specifically prohibited under applicable laws,
or by the rules and regulations of any governing governmental agencies or national securities exchanges: 



	(a)
	Any
and all Options granted hereunder shall become immediately exercisable, and if granted before November 13, 2002 shall remain exercisable throughout their entire term; and



	(b)
	Any
restriction periods and restrictions imposed on Shares of Restricted Stock shall lapse. 




 
 

Article 12. Amendment, Modification, and Termination    
  


        12.1    Amendment, Modification, and Termination.    Subject to the terms of the Program including Sections12.2 and
12.3, the Board may at any time and from time to time, alter, amend, suspend or terminate the Program in whole or in part and the Committee may amend Awards previously granted under the Program. 


        12.2    Adjustment of Awards Upon the Occurrence of Certain Unusual or Nonrecurring Events.    The Committee may make
adjustments in the terms and conditions of, and the criteria included in, Awards
in recognition of unusual or nonrecurring events (including, without limitation, the events described in Section 5.4 hereof) affecting the Company or the financial statements of the Company or
of changes in applicable laws, regulations, or accounting principles, whenever the Committee determines that such adjustments are appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the
benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Program. 


        12.3    Awards Previously Granted.    Notwithstanding any provision of the Program or of any Award Agreement to the
contrary (but subject to Section 6.10), no termination, amendment, or modification of the Program or amendment of an Award previously granted under the Program shall adversely affect in any
material way any Award previously granted under the Program, without the express consent of the Participant holding such Award. 



 
 

Article 13. Compliance with Applicable Law and Withholding    
  


        13.1    General.    The granting of Awards and the issuance of Shares under the Program shall be subject to all
applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Program
or any Award Agreement, the following shall apply: 



	(a)
	The
Company shall have no obligation to issue any Shares under the Program if such issuance would violate any applicable law or any applicable regulation or requirement of any
securities exchange or similar entity.



	(b)
	Prior
to the issuance of any Shares under the Program, the Company may require a written statement that the recipient is acquiring the Shares for investment and not for the purpose or
with the intention of distributing the Shares and that the recipient will not dispose of them in violation of the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933.



	(c)
	With
respect to any Participant who is subject to Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, the Committee may, at any time, add such conditions and limitations to Award or payment
under the Program or implement procedures for the administration of the Program which it deems necessary or desirable to comply with the requirements of Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange
Act.



	(d)
	If,
at any time, the Company, determines that the listing, registration, or qualification (or any updating of any such document) of any Award, or the Shares issuable pursuant thereto,
is necessary on any securities exchange or under any federal or state securities or blue sky law, or that the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory body is necessary or desirable as a
condition of, or in connection with, any Award, the issuance of Shares pursuant to any 



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Award,
or the removal of any restrictions imposed on Shares subject to an Award, such Award shall not be granted and the Shares shall not be issued or such restrictions shall not be removed, as the
case may be, in whole or in part, unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent, or approval shall have been effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Company. 





        13.2    Securities Law Compliance.    With respect to Insiders, transactions under this Program are intended to comply
with all applicable conditions of Rule 16b-3 or its successors under the 1934 Act. To the extent any provision of the Program or action by the Committee or the Board fails to so
comply, it shall be deemed null and void, to the extent permitted by law and deemed advisable by the Board. 



        13.3    Tax Withholding.    The Company shall have the power and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a
Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy federal, state, local, domestic and foreign taxes, required by law or regulation to be withheld with respect to any taxable event
arising as a result of this Program. 


        13.4    Share Withholding.    Awards payable in Shares may provide that with respect to withholding required upon any
taxable event arising thereunder, Participants may elect to satisfy the withholding requirement, in whole or in part, by having the Company withhold Shares to satisfy their withholding tax
obligations; provided that Participants may only elect to have Shares withheld having a Fair Market Value on the date the tax is to be determined equal to or less than the minimum withholding tax
which could be imposed on the transaction. All elections shall be irrevocable, made in writing, signed by the Participant, and shall be subject to any restrictions or limitations, including prior
Committee approval, that the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate. 


 
 

Article 14. Indemnification    
  


        Each person who is or shall have been a member of the Committee, or of the Board, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company against and from any loss,
cost, liability, or expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to which he or she may be a party
or in which he or she may be involved by reason of any action taken or failure to act under the Program and against and from any and all amounts paid by him or her in settlement thereof, with the
Company's approval, or paid by him or her in satisfaction of any judgment in any such action, suit, or proceeding against him or her, provided he or she shall give the Company an opportunity, at its
own expense, to handle and defend the same before he or she undertakes to handle and defend it on his or her own behalf. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other
rights of indemnification to which such persons may be entitled under the Company's Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or any power that the Company may have to
indemnify them or hold them harmless. 


 
 

Article 15. Successors    
  


        All obligations of the Company under the Program with respect to Awards granted hereunder shall, to the extent legally permissible, be binding on any successor to
the Company, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of
the Company. 


 
 

Article 16. Legal Construction    
  


        16.1    Gender and Number.    Except where otherwise indicated by the context, any masculine term used herein also
shall include the feminine; the plural shall include the singular and the singular shall include the plural. 



        16.2    Severability.    In the event any provision of the Program shall be held illegal or invalid for any reason,
the illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining parts of the Program, and the Program shall be construed and enforced as if the illegal or invalid provision had not been included. 


        16.3    Governing Law.    To the extent not preempted by federal law, the Program, and all Award or other agreements
hereunder, shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the state of Delaware without giving effect to principles of conflicts of laws. 


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QuickLinks



Exhibit 10.44



Contents



Article 1. Establishment, Objectives, and Duration

Article 2. Definitions

Article 3. Administration

Article 4. Eligibility and Participation

Article 5. Shares Subject to the Program

Article 6. Stock Options

Article 7. Restricted Stock

Article 8. Beneficiary Designation

Article 9. Deferrals

Article 10. Rights of Nonemployee Directors and Consultants

Article 11. Change in Control

Article 12. Amendment, Modification, and Termination

Article 13. Compliance with Applicable Law and Withholding

Article 14. Indemnification

Article 15. Successors

Article 16. Legal Construction