Just found out that Pearson Testing Co. co-owns Capella? & U. of Wisc. 1st DL school?

I saw this information posted by a Capella student about the school's ownership. I have not had time to confirms all the info but maybe some of you might be in the know. I know that Steve Shank is owner and the mother Co. of Starbuck (minority share)... but I did not know the big psychological testing company is also on board: NCS Pearson, the assessment company most famous for being the publishers of the MMPI. Also interesting is the claim that U. of Wisc. in 1892 offered the first DL program? 111 years ago?


Back to Pearson...

The NCS Pearson claims to have been involved in online learning for decades. Is this true?

 

It was a division of Pearson (Financial Times Management) that bought our company that did US marketing for the Heriot-Watt EBS MBA in 1998, and another Pearson division (Pitman) that first published the Heriot-Watt materials. They had much earlier acquired Open College in the UK, which was, I think, the first non-US school to get DETC accreditation.

As for who was first? I don't know. London was doing distance degrees in the middle of the 19th century. And the charming story at Pitman was that on the very day the world's first postage stamp went on sale, (May 1, 1840), Isaac Pitman bought a bunch and sent out advertising on his shorthand courses.

 

This from a 2/2001 article on RedHerring's website, http://www.redherring.com/mag/issue92/670015467.html

Capella Education
CEO Stephen Shank
Founded 1993
Employees 200
Minneapolis, MN
612/339-8650
www.capella.edu

MARKET Offers online undergraduate and graduate classes through Capella University. Degrees and certificates are available in business, education, IT, human services, and psychology. Students are able to access and enroll in courses, communicate with teachers, and complete assignments through the Web site. In May, announced that SmartForce will give Capella content and applications for its IT degree program and offer Capella's IT undergraduate program to corporate clients. Other partners include Honeywell and Lawson Software. Currently has more than 2,700 students enrolled -- primarily working adults. Competes with traditional colleges and universities, the University of Phoenix, and UNext.
FINANCE Not profitable. Raised a first round of $4 million in February 1993 from Stephen Shank and Cherry Tree Investments. Raised a second round of $4.6 million in June 1998 from NCS Pearson. Raised a third round of $35 million in May 2000 from Forstmann Little. Total capital raised: $43.6 million. CEO was chairman and CEO of Tonka.
THE HERRING TAKE Founded in 1993, Capella was one of the first accredited online universities. Its agreement with SmartForce should give Capella more business and visibility in the industry.