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W. P. Carey School graduation to feature prominent business leaders


Dean Amy Hillman
May 06, 2013

About 2,000 students will graduate from Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business this week. The W. P. Carey School is one of the largest and highest-ranked business schools in the nation, with undergraduate, full-time MBA, part-time MBA and online MBA programs all ranked top 30 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Graduation ceremonies will feature the president of US Airways, a leader of local nonprofit Chicanos por la Causa, and a group visiting from the school’s prestigious executive MBA program in China.

“We’re excited to see so many of our high-achieving students taking the next step in their lives and careers,” says Amy Hillman, dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business. “They will join an impressive W. P. Carey School alumni network that’s more than 80,000 strong.”

About 1,400 students will participate in the undergraduate convocation at 8 a.m., May 9, at Wells Fargo Arena. More than 20 types of business degrees will be awarded. The featured speaker will be J. Scott Kirby, president of US Airways Group, Inc. and US Airways. He oversees the airline’s operations and will receive a distinguished achievement award.

About 600 students will walk the stage at the graduate-level convocation at 5 p.m., May 10, at Wells Fargo Arena. The featured speaker will be Martin Quintana, chief economic development officer for Chicanos por la Causa, Inc., one of the state’s largest nonprofit organizations and one of the largest Latino community-development organizations in the country. Quintana is an alumnus of the W. P. Carey School’s executive MBA program and a member of the school’s Homecoming Hall of Fame. He will also receive a distinguished achievement award.

“We’re also welcoming 32 of the students graduating from the school’s executive MBA program in Shanghai for the graduate-level ceremony here,” says Hillman.

The Shanghai program educates some of the highest-level business and government leaders in China and is ranked top 25 among executive MBA programs worldwide, according to the Financial Times. Past graduates include the chief executive officers of Baosteel and Shanghai Electric, three vice governors of China’s major provinces, six city mayors, the CEO of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, several bank chairmen and the deputy commissioner of the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

This spring’s Turken Family Outstanding Graduating Senior is Haipei Chang, a dual major in economics and finance. He is a McCord Scholar, a JPMorgan Chase Scholar and a President Barack Obama Scholar mentor. He also co-founded ASCEND at ASU, a professional organization focused on leadership development and the advancement of Pan-Asians in global business. He has served the community through projects for Ronald McDonald House, the Tempe Adopt-A-Park program and the Phoenix Rescue Mission.