Sun Devil Stories
The fifth annual Sun Devil 100 event honored a full complement of top firms led by ASU alumni, including several W. P. Carey leaders we are proud to recognize. Co-founded by David Freedman (BS Real Estate ’05) and Chris Stark (MRED ’05), advertising technology firm Freestar was named the top Sun Devil 100 company in its Class of 2020. “None of this is possible without ASU and the incredible community that’s been built here,” Freedman says.
Other W. P. Carey alumni featured in the Class of 2020 top 10 were:
- No. 3 SeaBay Building Group | Co-founded by R. Vincent Switzer (BS Supply Chain Management ’04, MBA ’07)
- No. 4 Tallwave | Founded by Jeffrey Pruitt (BS Accountancy ’94)
- No. 5 MDSL | Led by four W. P. Carey Sun Devils: Charles Layne (BS Marketing ’98), Aaron Zeper (BS Finance ’95), Rob Stratton (BS Marketing ’06), Tom Feeley (BS Marketing ’92)
- No. 6 Print.Save.Repeat | Founded by Errol Berry (BS Supply Chain Management ’02)
- No. 7 Envida | Co-owned by Candie Guay (BS Marketing ’06)
- No. 10 Press Coffee | Co-owned by Jason Kyle (BS Marketing ’94)
Another highlight from this year’s Sun Devil 100 event: Five of the seven ASU alumni whose businesses have been honored all five years are W. P. Carey School of Business graduates.
- Errol Berry (BS Supply Chain Management ’02), Print.Save.Repeat
- Joel McFadden (MBA ’06), Fan Interactive Marketing
- Matt Michalowski (BS Finance ’09), PXL
- Cliff Shertz (MBA ’03), Tiempo Development
- Lisa VanBockern (BS Accountancy/Computer Information Systems ’98), Skin Script
Please join us in congratulating the W. P. Carey alumni featured here, along with our other Sun Devil 100 winners!
Related reading:
wpcarey.asu.edu/sun-devil-100
Newly refreshed with a data and analytics emphasis, future students can still complete the W. P. Carey Master of Accountancy (MACC) or Master of Taxation (MTax) in just nine months. “The data and analytics emphasis in our accountancy programs gives new accountants strong analytical skills to be competitive in the industry, which is becoming more and more data-driven,” says Andy Call, professor and director of the School of Accountancy at W. P. Carey.
“In addition to these technology skills,” Call adds, “our programs offer CPA exam prep and even map out a study schedule to help students and their peers practice for and then pass the exam. This approach will help graduates get their career off to a fast start.”
Related reading:
Accountancy: wpcarey.asu.edu/macc
Taxation: wpcarey.asu.edu/mtax
Designed to take the guesswork out of transfer work, MyPath2ASU provides a suite of customized tools to help students transfer to ASU from regionally accredited institutions throughout the United States. This includes international students transferring from a U.S. community college or university. Some benefits of transferring with MyPath2ASU include:
- Access to 400+ immersive and online degree pathways
- Guaranteed general admission to ASU and major of choice (if all requirements are satisfied)
- Minimized loss of credit through course-by-course transfer maps and other self-service transfer tools
One goal of MyPath2ASU is to provide clear, personalized pathways for transfer students to reach ASU programs and opportunities. Born and raised in the Philippines, Jerome Cabacungan is one such student. His path to W. P. Carey began when his parents moved to the U.S. two years ago. He decided to follow them to Phoenix, where he enrolled at Estrella Mountain Community College. There, he earned the credits he needed to transfer.
Cabacungan couldn’t be happier with his decision. “It was a seamless experience,” he says. “My ASU transfer specialist and community college advisor worked together to help me finish the program and earn two associate degrees within a year of my admission to Estrella Mountain.”
He declared computer information systems as his major at W. P. Carey. “Even though it will be a challenge, it will also be a versatile degree to graduate with,” says Cabacungan. “I can be an expert in various areas in both the business and computer field. The world of business and technology keeps evolving, and this is going to sound cheesy, but I would love to be part of that growth.”
Related reading:
wpcarey.asu.edu/transfer
W. P. Carey undergraduate programs soar in U.S. News rankings- No. 3 supply chain and logistics
- No. 10 quantitative analysis
- No. 12 marketing
- No. 12 management information systems
- No. 13 accounting
- No. 14 production/operations management
- No. 18 international business
Related reading:
- Undergraduate programs: wpcarey.asu.edu/ug
- Rankings: wpcarey.asu.edu/rankings
ASU’s W. P. Carey School was ranked No. 22 worldwide in Inc. magazine’s second annual ranking of MBA entrepreneurship programs — ahead of the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, Columbia Business School, and Rutgers Business School. Schools were evaluated in 10 categories, including how many and how heavily MBA electives are focused on entrepreneurship, the number of students involved in school entrepreneurship clubs, and the number of businesses launched by program graduates.
Related reading:
wpcarey.asu.edu/mba-programs