ASU was dissed by actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, but the university actually has several notable alums

• The actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli were involved in a sweeping college admissions scandal that involved paying bribes to help their two daughters gain admission to the University of Southern California. 
• In an affidavit released by the Justice Department, Giannulli wrote in an email to a cooperating witness that he wanted to "make sure we have a roadmap for success as it relates to [our daughter] and getting her into a school other than ASU!"
• In response to the diss, Arizona State University said in a statement that "some universities have decided the most important thing they can do is turn away deserving, qualified applicants just so they can seem more exclusive. That leads to perverse incentives and perverse actions, as we are witnessing unfold right now."
• ASU has scores of notable alumni, from athletes to politicians. Loughlin's ex-husband, Michael R. Burns, is an alumni of the university and is currently vice chairman of the film company Lionsgate.

Arizona State University has found itself enmeshed in a sweeping college admissions scandal involving dozens of high-profile figures, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.

In an affidavit released by the Justice Department, Loughlin's husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, wrote in an email to a cooperating witness that "We just met with [our older daughter's] college counselor this am. I'd like to maybe sit with you after your session with the girls as I have some concerns and want to fully understand the game plan and make sure we have a roadmap for success as it relates to [our daughter] and getting her into a school other than ASU!"

Loughlin and her husband allegedly paid $500,000 in bribes for their two daughters to be designated as recruits to the University of Southern California's crew team, according to the indictment. However, neither of the women actually rowed crew. 

Read more: Here's how Lori Loughlin got her 2 influencer daughters with millions of followers into USC through an admissions scam, according to investigators

Authorities allege that some of those accused paid bribes of up to $6 million to get their children into elite universities, such as Yale, Stanford, and the University of Southern California. They used elaborate schemes — from having stand-ins taking standardized exams for their children to editing their kids' heads onto stock photos of athletes  — so they could be recruited as athletes and gain admission.

ASU said in a statement that it had "no comment on a glib, uninformed remark."

"Some universities have decided the most important thing they can do is turn away deserving, qualified applicants just so they can seem more exclusive. That leads to perverse incentives and perverse actions, as we are witnessing unfold right now," ASU added in the statement.

Here's a list of some notable ASU alumni in response to Giannulli's diss of the university:

Kate Spade

Spade enrolled at ASU to study journalism after transferring from the University of Kansas. She started off as an accessories editor at Mademoiselle magazine and eventually created her own handbag company in 1993. Over the years, her company transformed into a brand name business that revolutionized the fashion industry. Spade went on to win several awards, including woman of the year by Glamour in 2002. The handbag designer was found dead in June of an apparent suicide. She received her Bachelor of Art in broadcasting at ASU in 1985.

Michael R. Burns

Burns, Loughlin's first husband,  has been vice chairman of film company Lionsgate since 1999, according to Bloomberg. In 2016, he landed a contract extension to keep him at the studio until 2022 and, during his tenure at the company, has helped carry out various acquisitions, including the $412.5 million buyout of Summit Entertainment in 2012. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from ASU in 1980 and later received an M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles. ASU honored Burns during its 2017 Founders' Day "for his role in building Lionsgate into a multi-billion dollar global content leader."

Kyrsten Sinema

Sinema won Arizona's senate race in a closely watched midterm election, flipping the open seat of retired GOP Sen. Jeff Flake to become Arizona's first Democratic U.S. senator since 1994, according to the Associated Press. She worked as a social worker and political activist in her 20s before serving several terms in the state Legislature. Earlier this month, she also set a personal record for an Ironman race in New Zealand, according to the Arizona Republic. Sinema attended ASU and received her Master of Science degree in social work in 1999, Juris Doctor in 2004, and Ph.D. in justice studies in 2012.

Matthew Desmond 

Desmond, a celebrated sociologist and professor at Harvard and Princeton, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2017, accepting the prestigious award for his non-profit book "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City." The sociologist William Julius Wilson told the New York Times that Desmond's research, which included ethnographic observation and data, was "one of the most comprehensive field studies of the past half-century," adding that "We knew evictions were a problem, but not on the scale that Matt demonstrates." In 2016, POLITICO included him among its Politico 50 list as one of the 50 most influential people in national political debate. Desmond received his Bachelor of Science degree with honors from ASU in 2002 and later earned his masters and doctorate degrees in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Phil Mickelson

Mickelson is a professional golfer who first began his athletic career at ASU, where he won three NCAA individual championships before turning pro. He was described as "arguably the greatest college golfer ever," by PGA.com writer Andy Wittry and is considered one of America's most successful professional golfers. Mickelson has won five major PGA championships, including three Masters titles. He is also a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. He received his Bachelor of Art degree in psychology from ASU in 1992.

• Read more:
• 5 examples show the extreme lengths prosecutors say wealthy parents went to get their kids into elite colleges
• A 'Full House' plot line foreshadowed Lori Loughlin's involvement in an alleged school admissions scam
• Federal authorities have demanded records from prestigious LA prep schools as part of the college cheating scandal investigation

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: New Orleans is the wild drink capital of the world — here's what you need to try