6 • GCU TODAY
F
OR A MAN DEDICATED
to digital innovation, Jared
Stauffer certainly paid
homage to the days of analog
technology when he decorated
his office on the 11th floor of
an uptown Phoenix high-rise.
A vintage typewriter sits in one corner
against a window that frames northbound
Central Avenue and Camelback Mountain in the
distance. A wide wooden record player includes
a selection of Billy Joel vinyl. On the coffee table,
a 1960 edition of Life magazine, featuring a
young Billy Graham on a mission trip to Africa,
takes up a spot many tech executives reserve for
the latest edition of Wired.
Stauffer said the throwback motif reminds
him of simpler times since his daily routine at
Brinkster, the cloud-hosting company he leads
as CEO, often involves complex technological
discussions and decisions.
Nearly 15 years ago when he created
Brinkster as a Grand Canyon University
undergraduate, Stauffer would write code in
his campus apartment, more interested in
developing a simple free web-hosting space for
developers than building a profitable tech firm.
Today, Stauffer stands out as the type
of student tech entrepreneur GCU aims to
cultivate through its new bachelor’s degrees in
computer science and information technology.
The University has refined its approach to
science curriculum with a focus on drawing
Stauffer-like students to the fast-growing
Phoenix main campus, where the new College
of Science, Engineering and Technology is
adding new programs to address STEM-related
industry needs.
S T O R I E S B Y M I C H A E L F E R R A R E S I
P H O T O S B Y D A R R Y L W E B B
Decoding the Future
Alumnus’ path runs
from CEO’s desk back to
science-minded campus
