Capella History
In 1992, Stephen Shank, former CEO of Tonka Corporation, provided the vision, leadership, and a portion of the initial funding for the incorporation of a distance- learning institution of higher education. Shank had observed that adults were under-served by traditional universities, partly because attending classes can be difficult for many working adults, and traditional curriculum may not correspond with the professional goals of mature adults. He envisioned a barrier-free university that people could attend remotely. The Graduate School of America (TGSA), which eventually became Capella University, was established.
In 1993, Dr. Harold Abel, an experienced leader in higher education and a former president of three universities, joined Stephen Shank to serve as founding president and academic leader of The Graduate School of America (TGSA). Dr. Abel assembled a premier faculty, built graduate curricula, and guided the university toward academic accreditation. In 1997, during the presidency of Dr. Bruce Francis, TGSA was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and became a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). The university’s accreditation was reaffirmed by the Higher Learning Commission in 2008 and in 2015.
The Graduate School of America initially offered master’s and doctoral degree programs in Education, Human Services, and Organization and Management. Two years after receiving accreditation, TGSA became Capella University and went on to establish the schools of Business, Education, Human Services, Technology, and the Harold Abel School of Psychology.
The undergraduate learning experience was enhanced by a reorganization of schools in 2004 to form the School of Undergraduate Studies and the School of Business and Technology. In 2009, to better meet the professional needs of its learners in public service fields, Capella formed the School of Public Service Leadership. Capella’s Harold Abel School of Social and Behavioral Sciences was established in 2010.
Programs from the two former schools, the School of Human Services and the Harold Abel School of Psychology, moved into that school, which housed the Department of Counseling and the Department of Psychology. In 2014, Capella separated its nursing and health care programs from the remainder of the School of Public Service Leadership’s portfolio in order to better serve its learners as they progress toward their professional goals. In 2015, Capella moved the Department of Social Work to the School of Public Service Leadership to better align the social work programs with the school’s human services, leadership, public administration, and public service programs and mission.
In 2013, the Higher Learning Commission approved two competency-based, direct assessment program options, called FlexPath, for the BS in Business, Business Administration specialization and the MBA, General Business Administration specialization. That same year, both offerings were also approved by the Department of Education for federal financial aid eligibility. Since that time, Capella has continued to expand its FlexPath portfolio. In 2020, Capella received Higher Learning Commission and Department of Education approval for the first doctoral-level FlexPath offering.
In 2018, to better serve the professional needs of learners in respective programs, the Harold Abel School of Social and Behavioral Sciences became two schools, reestablishing the Harold Abel School of Psychology and creating the School of Counseling and Human Services. Also in 2018, undergraduate programs and courses within the School of Undergraduate Studies were aligned with their appropriate school creating more integrated schools that include the full range of degree levels and general education courses moved to the Division of Arts and Sciences.
With a goal of building on and continuing previous improvements in learner outcomes and impacts, in 2020, Capella was reorganized into the following four schools: the School of Business, Technology, and Health Care Administration; the School of Nursing and Health Sciences; the School of Public Service and Education; and the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.