Michael Offerman,
President, Liar, & Oaf
 Capella University decided, beginning with their Spring 2004 quarter,
to subject some of their
students learners to
WebCT Vista, a hideous program that denies access to students with
disabilities.
When students complained, en
masse,
about their horrible experiences with this Java-based nightmare,
Michael Offerman, Capella University's feeble President, made
one of higher education's DUMBEST statements ever when he proclaimed
that their "pilot
study"
of WebCT was "universally
praised for being exceptionally user-friendly and intuitive, and
providing new and useful online tools." The only problem is,
Michael Offerman has refused to provide ANY information about this
bogus study. We assert that Michael Offerman is an incompetent
liar who is incapable of disclosing the fact that no such study
was ever conducted. Period.
- Offerman Lies to Students -
while "apologizing" for
Capella University's incompetent implementation of WebCT
Vista - a program that is not accessible to students with
disabilities.
- Offerman Insults Students for Capella's
WebCT blunders - he offers a "gift certificate" for
use in Capella's bookstore. Isn't that nice?!
- Offerman's Huge Salary - forget
about receiving a quality education at Capella, your money
will help pay for Offerman's salary instead.
- Michael Offerman has been Sued
Before! - Offerman threatens and attempts to blackmail an employee.
Discrimination and unprofessional behavior? Looks
like all he cares about is money! Certainly sounds
familiar to us!
Michael Offerman Lies to Students
If the following "apology" wasn't so incredibly
stupid, it might be funny. The sad thing is that Michael
Offerman, Capella University's feeble president demonstrates
just what an idiot he really is in the letter that was
sent to Capella students learners who were subjected to
WebCT Vista.
Just briefly, some of the most asinine statements that were
made by Offerman include:
- The entire first paragraph - take a look at our student
complaints page (that contains actual student comments
just released [April 2005] by the United States Department
of Education) for a small sampling how they really felt.
- The "situation rose unexpectedly" after Capella
had conducted "several months of testing" where
test subjects found WebCT to be "universally praised
for being exceptionally user-friendly and intuitive, and
providing new and useful online tools." Apparently,
Michael Offerman is not only a complete dolt but he's also
an incredible liar!
- There
isn't a single other study, found anywhere,
that says the same thing about WebCT
- not one!
- Capella University had promised, repeatedly,
to provide copies of these so-called studies
and yet none have ever been produced.
Why don't Michael Offerman and the other
jerks at Capella want to share their
findings with others? After all, Capella's
subjects for this bogus study found WebCT
Vista to be "universally
praised for being exceptionally user-friendly
and intuitive, and providing new and useful
online tools." Heck, you would think
that WebCT would also splatter the results
of a "study" such
as the one Offerman describes
all over their web site too! Wouldn't that
be a great selling tool for WebCT? Just think
how much more money could be made! The fact
is, Michael Offerman and others are simply
liars - plain and simple! A real university
would more than gladly publish the research
result of any study that found something
that was "universally praised for being
exceptionally user-friendly and intuitive,
and providing new and useful online tools" -
especially when that "tool" was
the sole course room environment for two
of their "schools."
The answer, of course, is that we do
not believe there are any studies - they
don't exist. Michael Offerman is a liar.
Period.
- "Bottom line, we want to be sure that
your learning experience with Capella University
is all that you have been promised and deserve." Oh
really?! Michael Offerman is nothing but
a liar!
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Shortly after Michael Offerman's stupid "apology", some
of Capella's illustrious "deans", Kurt
Linberg and Shelly Robbins, wimpishly tried to pacify students
by giving them one measly little gift certificate to be used
in Capella's bookstore (it didn't matter how many courses students learners
were enrolled in). Just the same, considering the huge fees students
paid to be subjected to WebCT, this "gift certificate" was
little more than a slap in the face - especially in light of the
lavish income Michael Offerman receives from Capella!
Capella University Insults Students
At Capella University, students pay an enormous amount
in tuition, only to be subjected to an incompetently designed
course room - WebCT. Then, Capella University offers students
a paltry "credit" of $100 (didn't matter how
many courses students were enrolled in) in an effort to
stop the uproar that followed the onslaught
of complaints. Not surprisingly, it didn't work!
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Facts About Michael Offerman:
Sure you want to know more? For starters, here is some information
on how much Michael Offerman receives as Capella's leading inept "researcher,"
President, and as the "Senior Vice President" of Capella
Education Corporation.
How
much does Michael Offerman earn?
According to a report
just filed on April 18, 2005 with the United States Securities
and Exchange Commission, Michael Offerman earns a huge
amount of money - not too bad for a liar!
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Long Term
Compensation Awards |
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Annual Compensation |
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Year |
Salary |
Bonus |
Securities Underlying
Options (#) |
All Other
Compensation(a) |
| Name and Principal Position |
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| Michael J. Offerman(b) |
2004 |
$250,470 |
$77,143 |
15,211 |
$6,150 |
Senior Vice President |
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Employment Agreements
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Michael J. Offerman, Ed.D. |
On April 17, 2001, we entered
into a letter agreement with Michael Offerman, pursuant
to which Dr. Offerman agreed to serve as our Senior
Vice President and President and Chief Executive Officer
of Capella University. This agreement was amended on
November 10, 2003, at which time Dr. Offerman
agreed to assume certain additional responsibilities
related to these positions. Pursuant to the terms of
the amended agreement, Dr. Offerman received, among
other things, (1) an annual base salary of $240,000,
(2) an annual incentive compensation award targeted
at 40% of base salary, and (3) options to purchase 75,000 shares
of our common stock at an exercise price of $14.25 per
share, 56,250 shares of which have vested and 18,750 shares
of which will vest on June 11, 2005, subject to
acceleration in certain situations. Dr. Offerman
is subject to a confidentiality and non-compete agreement.
In the event that Dr. Offerman’s employment
terminates involuntarily for any reason other than for
cause, he will be entitled to certain severance benefits,
including (1) 12 months severance pay if termination
occurs in the first 12 months, (2) six months
severance pay if termination occurs after the first year
of employment and (3) outplacement assistance. If Dr. Offerman
is unable to find employment due to the restrictions
of the confidentiality and non-compete agreement, Dr.
Offerman will be entitled to a monthly severance benefit
equal to the lesser of 12 months or the time which it
takes to secure suitable employment, provided that in
no event will such severance entitlement be less than
six months. |
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Lawsuits Involving Michael Offerman
Just by chance, we've stumbled upon an interesting item - Michael
Offerman, while serving as the Dean and Director for the University
of Wisconsin Learning Innovations (UWLI), a division of the University
of Wisconsin Extension, prior to his current stint with Capella,
was named as part of a lawsuit filed on charges of discrimination.
Of most interest to our readers is the statement where Offerman threatened his staff.
Michael Offerman Threatens Staff
In Markel
v. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System,
we have learned that Michael Offerman made, what is in
our opinion, grossly unprofessional threats to his staff.
As to be expected, it appears as if Offerman's big concern
was about money - and making as much of it as he can.
While the court did not find in the plaintiff's favor,
we still believe that this case represents the type of
unethical and disgusting treatment that students are
subjected to under Offerman's "leadership." Interestingly,
Offerman's vile threat is very similar to Kurt
Linberg's where he
demanded that a student write a statement to give away
his rights - that student refused. We salute Markel for
her courage in standing up to money monger bullies like
Michael Offerman!
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Michael Offerman Threatens His Staff
"Offerman told her
that in order to avoid dismissal she needed to
either write out and sign a statement outlining what
she knew about the new business or resign."
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