Newsroom

Get the Latest on the Capella University Kickback Scam!

The story about the Capella University student loan kickback scam, involving Capella's Director of Financial Aid, Timothy Lehmann, has grown so large that we've now created a special section on this site to report on it. Of course, we'll also list updates on this breaking scandal on this page as well, in addition to giving it the front page treatment it deserves.

• Visit our Capella University Kickback Scam Section today!

News Archives

• October 5, 2007 - Capella University - University of California, Irvine - Kickback Scandal: Who's Involved?
• September 29, 2007 - Capella University GUILTY! A Federal Law Enforcement Agency has Just Found Capella University in Violation, on TEN COUNTS, of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)!
• September 28, 2007 - Capella University - University of California, Irvine
  Kickback Scam Exposed!
• September 4, 2007 - Capella University and Their Unethical Shysters Getting Hammered Again!
• August 27, 2007 - H. Christian L'Orange and Capella Stella Fey Epling Get their Panties TANGLED!
• August 23, 2007 - H. Christian L'Orange Continues Lying to the Court
• August 21, 2007 - Capella's Unethical Shysters Have Another Meltdown
• August 19, 2007 - Body of Missing Capella Employee Found
• August 18, 2007 - Sanctions to be Demanded from Capella University for Their Intentional Refusal to Turn Over Evidence
• August 16, 2007 - Capella University Violates Court Rules AGAIN!
• August 8, 2007 - Capella University and their sleazy shysters are so addicted to our site that they can't stay away. Take a look at how they spend day after day engaged in a veritable site-visit orgy!
• August 8, 2007 - Capella University Employee, Mr. Scott Sathers, Missing in Bridge Collapse
• August 1, 2007 (approx.) - Another Sleazy Lying Capella "Attorney", Priscilla McNulty, has Been Bestowed the Title of Shyster
• July 10 to July 26, 2007 - Capella University and Their Attorneys Lie Again, and Again, and Again by claiming they can't view this site. Not only is that a blantant lie but they contiue to visit us on almost a daily basis! What a bunch of sickos!
• July 16, 2007 - Capella's Number One Charlatan, Diane Stottlemyer, Shows Up Again!
• July 15, 2007 - Capella University Accused of Fraud In Federal Lawsuit!
• July 15, 2007 - Capella's number one charlatan, Diane Stottlemyer, buys more degrees! She buys so many, that even we can't keep track of them!
• June 16, 2007 - Capella University Instructor Sharon Bender Accused of Plagiarism in Lawsuit!
• June 12, 2007 - Capella University Plagiarizes National Public Radio Article! That's right, they actually stole an article by NPR and turned it into a publicity stunt!
• June 6, 2007 - Capella University Fires Timothy Lehmann, Corrupt Financial Aid Director!
• June 5, 2007 - Capella's CEO, Chief Shyster, and Liar, Stephen Shank refuses to abide by any sense of ethical behavior and continues to give preferential treatment to Student Loan Xpress! Clicking on the link will show you that we have the proof!
• May 18, 2007 - William Burkett, Capella's Faculty Chair for Undergraduate Studies wants students to play free online games as part of Capella's overpriced curriculum!
• May 15, 2007 - Capella University admits other employees accepted kickbacks!
• May 14, 2007 - Capella University Now Admits to Stealing "Less Than a Million Dollars" from American Taxpayers
• April 26, 2007 - MIT's Dean, Marilee Jones, resigns because she doesn't hold any degrees - we suggest that she apply to Capella, home of other charlatans such as Diane Stottlemyer!
• April 22, 2007 - Capella's stupid CEO, Stephen Shank continues to give Student Loan Xpress preferential treatment.
• April 22, 2007 - Congressman George Miller Chastises United States Department of Education and Schedules Hearing
• April 21, 2007 - Senator Edward M. Kennedy Instigates Senate Investigation into Corruption at Capella!
• April 20, 2007 - Despite full media coverage of Capella's involvement with the student loan kickback scandal, the "University" continues to give preferential treatment to Student Loan Xpress and we have the proof!
• April 20, 2007 - We've just created a special Capella University Student Loan Kickback Scam Section!
• April 12, 2007 - Capella Education Company Stock Plunges!
• April 12, 2007 - Capella University has a fetish for our web site! Take a look at the logs that show some of the pages they enjoy most!
• April 11, 2007 - Greg Thom, Capella's chief shyster & liar files report with SEC concerning kickback scandal. Has he lied again?!
• April 11, 2007 - Reuters and the Chronicle of Higher Education are now reporting on the Capella Kickback Scandal!
• April 10, 2007 - Financial Aid Kickback Scam Continues to Grow
• April 9, 2007 - The Associated Press and CBS News are reporting on allegations of kickbacks to Capella University official Timothy Lehmann!
• April 7, 2007 - Death Row Murderer and Capella University? Hmmmm...
• March 27, 2007 - Capella University has admission standards? We're sure you won't be surprised to learn that they admit 100% of all undergraduate applicants!
• March 25, 2007 - What do others think about Capella University? We're not the only ones who think they suck! We thought it might be fun to point out some of the most revealing opinions about Capella from other sources on the 'net. Of course, we also provide links to those sites so you can read them for yourself! .
• March 21, 2007 - Capella Stella Fey Epling Lies Again
• March 21, 2007 - "Capella Stella" (Stella Fey Epling) has been caught writing what we believe is a grossly unethical letter to a Federal law enforcement agency!
• January 29, 2007 - Intel Just Says No to Capella University
• January 5, 2007 - Chronicle of Higher Education Article SLAMS Capella University. Human Resources manager likens Capella University (and other "schools" of their ilk) to diploma mills!
• November 7, 2006 - In a brazen act of stupidity, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services not only counters Capella's frivolous lawsuit but files a cross-suit against Executive Risk Specialty Insurance Company. Unbelievable!
• October 31, 2006 - Has Capella University defrauded American Taxpayers? Capella Education Corporation is currently being subjected to an audit by the United States Department of Education, Inspector General's Office and may be subject to sanctions!
• October 27, 2006 - Capella University is being audited by the United States Department of Education, Inspector General's Office!
• October 13, 2006 - Capella University is being sued for discrimination again - this time, by one of their own employees! This time, a former Capella University Enrollment Director is alleging discrimination, harassment, and retaliation because of his disabilities - gosh, what a surprise.
• October 11, 2006 - Word has just been received that Capella University has "voluntarily withdrawn" their application for accreditation from the American Psychological Association (APA)! Maybe the APA realized that Capella is run by a bunch of pathological liars!
• July 31, 2006 - Capella University goes sue crazy! Not content to limit their frivolous lawsuits to students that they abuse, Capella University decides to sue the own insurance company for refusing to pay for one of these frivolous lawsuits!
• July 20, 2006 - The Associated Press has just reported that Capella University instructor (funny, they don't refer to him as an "independent contractor"), Richard Costello, has stripped of his title, as the information technology director for the North Carolina State Utilities Commission, for moonlighting on state time and resources to "teach" at Capella University (and a couple of other "schools"). Does the dishonesty ever end?
• June 21, 2006 - Sir Chrisy the Sissy (H. Christian L'Orange), one of Capella University's attorneys whines to the court - boohoo!
• April 2006 - Racism at Capella University? We think so! Read the racism complaint filed with the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights against Capella University today!
• March 26, 2006 - Vickie Cook has long been noted on this site for her role as Capella University’s favorite poster child. It is also known that she has served on Capella’s Alumni Association’s Board. As mentioned on our Vickie Cook page, Capella has touted her rags-to-riches story since June 2003 (perhaps sooner) in countless press releases – many of which expound upon her magical transformation from a WalMart shelf stocker/cashier to a dean a Kaskaskia Community College. Many of these propaganda pieces have already been referenced on this site. Just as disgusting is that Vickie Cook has now resurfaced as a "visiting professor" (please try not to wretch) in a teacher education program at the University of Illinois, Springfield. Just as shocking is that she allegedly "teaches" courses entitled "Foundations of Teacher Leadership." We're sure that even Honest Abe must be turning in his grave knowing the this hypocritical and grossly unethical liar is lurking in Springfield.

  Vickie Cook’s role in assisting Capella's abuse and retaliation of students has also been documented. She has consistently demonstrated that she is a passive-aggressive backstabbing coward who, on at least one occasion, wrote an anonymous letter to her buddies at Capella that was used at the only “complaint” from a student (even though Vickie Cook was not a student at the time she wrote it), to retaliate against others who have pointed out the incompetence at Capella.

  As with all unethical liars (something that thrives at Capella), Vickie Cook has continued her vile actions by filing a declaration on behalf of her alma mater in the current lawsuit against Capella University. Even though Vickie Cook signed that declaration under penalty of perjury, her statements are so utterly bizarre that we're now quite certain that there are no lifeguards in her gene pool. That story may be found on our Vickie Cook Lies to Federal Court Under Penalty of Perjury page. Just one example of this fruitcake’s hallucinations that Cook submitted to the court as “the truth” is her wacky claim that her photograph, along with information about her mother, have been posted on this site! Of course, that has NEVER happened! Even more bizarre is the fact that Vickie Cook asked the police for protection because of her madness! Those wishing to know the truth about Cook’s bizarre statements will be amused to learn that the release of sacred information that she fraudulently blamed upon us was , more than likely, submitted by Cook in her never ending need to seek publicity: that information was a graduation announcement that appeared on the FRONT PAGE of the Salem Times-Commoner! Of course, Cook probably did’t report them to the police!

  Cook’s antics as Capella’s poster-child has continued to this very day. In fact, another publicity stunt has just been released about Cook's connections with WalMart in an article entitled, “From Cashier To College Dean.” As to be expected, this latest drivel is now spreading around the Internet and, once more, touts Cook’s rise to fame as a former WalMart cashier. The only problem is, Cook just tried to distance herself from Walmart in the declaration she submitted to the court with the statement that she “left WalMart in 1990.” If that’s the case, then Vickie Cook has, once again, demonstrated that she is a full-blown hypocrite. Of course, Cook’s WalMart connections also serve Capella’s propaganda machine! Visitors needing a good laugh will want to read Cook’s complete declaration.

• February 16, 2006 - We've now added a new subsection to this site to post all of the bizarre declarations and other legal nonsense being vomited at the court by Capella University and their Dream Team/Sleaze Squad. This section contains information about many of the the lies (which we contend are blatant acts of perjury) and other nonsense being fabricated by Capella University, their attorneys, and other thugs in their deliberate attempt to circumvent justice!

• February 15, 2006 - Shawn Ambrose has long served Capella University as their chief zealot, student, adjunct faculty member, and head cheerleader. We've often wondered how he has found so much time to feed his obsessions and, for the first time ever, we've revealed his dirty little secret - instead of visiting his online classes as an "instructor" at the esteemed Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College, he uses their computers to visit this and related sites! Gosh, what an honor! In recognition of his obsession with this site, we're pleased to offer a Day in the Life of Shawn Ambrose! In case you're wondering - we've documented that he dropped by a mere 31 times in a single day while, at the same time, failed to visit two of his "online courses" for nearly two weeks!
• February 14, 2006 - Education Risk Specialty Insurance Company has refused to pay for Capella's lawsuit expenses! (Perhaps Education Risk already knows the truth about Capella's vile against against students!) As a result, the money mongers at Capella have filed a lawsuit against Education Risk Specialty Insurance Company - if Capella's latest stunt even comes close to the sleazy tactics they are using in La Marca v. Capella University, Education Risk has nothing to worry about!
• January 5, 2006 - Capella University has hired their Head Cheerleader, Shawn Ambrose! Just think, you too can pay nearly $2,000 per class to take a course with this goon!
• December 2005 - Want a obtain a doctorate a no cost? If so, we've located on source for you to try today! (Diane Stottlemyer, Capella's charlatan who bought her bogus graduate degrees need not apply - after all, she would have to actually do some work to obtain it!)
• December 1, 2005 - Capella's Cheerleader, Shawn Ambrose, compares alcoholics and drug addicts to those with disabilities!
• November 13, 2005 - In honor of Capella Stella's feeble attempt to blame her computer (we're taking bets that her next excuse will be that her dog ate the evidence), we've created the first "poem" to place on this site - granted, it ain 't literature but Capella Stella's briefs ain 't no good neither! <smile!> We hope you'll enjoy, "Capella Stella: Ode to One of Capella University's Defense Attorneys."
• November 9, 2005 - Capella Stella (Stella Fey Epling) apologizes to the court concerning the allegations that Capella University (and/or their dream team) have again violated court rules!
• November 3, 2005 - the Plaintiff in the discrimination lawsuit against Capella University files a document with the court regarding additional allegations that Capella's attorneys have violated court rules for a second time (this link opens a .pdf file).
• November 2, 2005 - Update on Capella's latest lawsuit antics.
• October 31, 2005 - All in all, an extremely scary day for Capella University - the facts are:
  • One of Capella University's defense attorneys, Stella Fey Epling, lies to the court (we believe that she has committed perjury)
  • Capella's feeble President, Michael Offerman, also lies to the court (again, we believe he has committed perjury)
• September 6, 2005 - Capella assembles their "Dream Team" to fight the lawsuit against them. Interestingly, Capella is using the same law firm, Drinker, Biddle, and Reath. that also lobbies Congress for them (Gosh, what a surprise.) Their "Dream Team" consists of Chris L'Orange - who specializes such things as toxic waste and representing "manufacturers in the pharmaceutical and nutritional supplement industry in cases involving allegations of personal injury and misleading business practices" and Fey Epling, a relative newbie to the firm. Impressed? We're not! Listen to our response (in the form of an MP3 file) by clicking here. We suppose though, that it's a good thing Capella chose a toxic waste specialist to represent them - after all, Capella students are treated like toxic waste.
• September 2, 2005 - At Capella, Education is a Business (now that's an understatement!). This fascinating article was published in Minnesota's Star Tribune and notes some fascinating statistics:
  • Capella University costs more, a lot more, than real schools
  • Only a measly 15 percent of Capella's instructors are employees - that way, "the company saved $1.1 million in 2004 by avoiding additional taxes, workers compensation insurance payments and payroll processing costs they hire many others from elsewhere."
  • Capella's student learner body currently consists of:
    • 15 percent seeking bachelor's degrees,
    • 39 percent pursuing master's degrees, and
    • 46 percent seeking doctoratal degrees (now, what's wrong with that picture?!)
  • "One [student] accused a Capella teacher of having easy-to-acquire master's and doctoral degrees from a 'degree mill.'" That's not a rumor, it's a statement of fact - see our page on Diane Stottlemyer, who bought her "diplomas" from Lacrosse University.
• August 31, 2005 - New materials have just been received regarding the unholy alliance between the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and Capella University. We're sure you'll be sickened by the marketing scam!
• August 27, 2005 - The Purdue Exponent provides another report on the lawsuit against Capella University. Interestingly, Ken Morgan, Perdue's director of communications for IT aP, states that, unlike Capella University that uses WebCT Vista as their sole course room environment (for some of their schools), students requiring accommodations are handled on a case by case basis. He states, "We don't have to rely on a single technology."
• August 19, 2006 - Capella University employee, Daniel Iliff, sends hate-mail to the attorney who is suing the university on behalf of a student As a Capella employee, Daniel Iliff's e-mail has already been submitted to the court as evidence as to the vulgar treatment one can expect from the university!
• August 10, 2005 - The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers posts article regarding lawsuit against Capella University.
• August 10, 2005 - Capella University is now forcing some students to sign an agreement that gives away their right to sue! Apparently, too many students have already been scammed by Capella and now the "university" is trying to cut their losses by abusing them even more.
• August 9, 2005 - Capella University missed their first deadline to respond to the lawsuit as required by the court - they were supposed to respond by August 4, 2005 and court records now show that they've asked for "extended time to answer the complaint." Capella now has until September 6, 2005. Find out more on our page devoted to this lawsuit.
• August 9, 2005 - It's official Capella's Junior Cheerleader, Robert Evans, has been caught in a blatant act of defaming another Capella student! Robert Evans sent an e-mail to the employer of that student in malicious act of defamation. Fortunately, the employer has been very cooperative and Robert Evan's e-mail has now been turned over to legal counsel. We're certain that Robert Evans will enjoy the legal actions that are going to be taken against him! Perhaps he should start shopping for black and white striped pompoms now!
• August 9, 2005 - Learning Disabilities Association of America reports on lawsuit filed against Capella for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• August 4, 2005 - The Arizona Board of Regents have reprinted the article from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
• August 4, 2005 - The Chronicle of Higher Education publishes a great article on a lawsuit that was recently filed against Capella. Not surprisingly, Greg Thom, Capella's Chief Shyster lies once again!
• August 2, 2005 - Capella University is beginning to self-destruct! After refusing to turn over records to a student for more than a year, as required by Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), they have finally released some (but certainly not all) of those documents. We're certain that this is the due to the fact that Michael Offerman, Capella's feeble President, received a demand , dated July 21, 2005, to produce records as required by FERPA from the United States Department of Education. A portion of that letter also provides information regarding the fact that Greg Thom, Capella's chief counsel, essentially admitted that he, and Capella University violated the law! Additional details may be found here.
• July 25, 2005 - Capella University now has an official potty-mouth - Brian P. Parish! You'll need to put on your armor before you read this jerk's vulgarities! So typical . . .
• July 24, 2005 - Another Capella student, Robert Evans, has now joined Shawn Ambrose in being reported to Federal law enforcement agencies for aiding and abetting Capella.
• June 30, 2005 - A lawsuit has been filed against Capella University in United States District Court on allegations of discrimination and retaliation (as defined under the American's with Disabilities Act), the Unruh Civil Rights Act, and California's "Leonard Law" for their intentional denial of student First Amendment Rights.
• June 17, 2005 - Is there a Doctor in the House? - this interesting item, from the Pay son Roundup (Pay son, AZ) about the overwhelming number of "doctors" on their local Community College Board who have purchased their degrees from the likes of Capella University. One interesting statement is that "According to his resume, [Stephen] Cullen, down in Globe, received his doctor designation from online Capella University -- an Orwellian institution that insists on using its own nomenclature. Students are not students at Capella -- they're learners." We don't know if the author read our Capella-speak page, but we couldn't agree more!
• May 10, 2005 - Capella University has at least one employee with great integrity! A Capella employee has just posted an articulate and revealing message on our sister-site, Capella University Sucks. Looks like Capella University's used-car sales tactics are essentially the same as those of the University of Phoenix, which was recently fined a mere $9.8 million dollars by the United States Department of Education!
• April 18, 2005 - Capella University is about to join Enron, Qwest, Computer Associates, Martha Stewart, Charles Keating, etc. in the world of securities! That's right, Capella University has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to go public. More commentary on this travesty will be forthcoming.
• October 22, 2004 - Capella University's Federal Government Lobbying Expenses ranks 44th among all US colleges and university's during 2003. The total amount spent was a whopping $270,000! Not too bad for a "school" that had just 9,000 students (that's about $30 per student - no wonder Capella raised their tuition, again).