OXFORD: Why Does Leeds Lead For Media Pros?

How the best companies to work for
are IDed by the LinkedIn study.

Oct. 1, 2014–Oxford is used to taking second place in rankings on occasion to Cambridge, or even on other institutions, especially when it comes to measures of teaching performance in certain subjects.

But on the subject of producing top media careerists, Oxford ranks #2 after Leeds, says a study conducted for LinkedIn using their data.

What is special about Leeds?

My view about rankings is that they usually provide interesting information–either about

•  the subject of the rankings or about 
• the blindness of the rankers. 

Today's students go to college with an eye to how what they study will lead to a good career. LinkedIn is geared to people who are pursuing their careers. It reports that after

• Leeds and 
• Oxford, the next five British universities (this is a British-based study) are:
• Cardiff and Nottingham, tied for third place;
• Durham, fifth;
• Bristol, sixth; and
• Cambridge, seventh.

Is the problem with the ranking method? It is described in a blogpost by Navneet Kapur this morning. It is based on analysis of jobs held by 300 million LinkedIn members world-wide. The researchers behind the study figured out what the desirable media jobs are, and the schools from which graduates get those desirable jobs. On this basis, LinkedIn ranks universities based on the career outcomes of their graduates.

The study authors start with identifying the most desirable companies, defined as companies in a profession that are the best at attracting and retaining talent in that profession. They define relevant graduates as those who end up working in that career, and have obtained their degrees within the past eight years. For each university and profession, they calculate the percentage of relevant graduates who have obtained desirable jobs. These percentages allow us to rank universities based on career outcomes across different professional areas.

It sounds reasonable. No obvious blindness. That gets us back to the question: Why does Leeds rank #1? Wouldn't Oxford's depth in languages, literature, communication put it in first place? Best answer I can offer is the Leeds media program web site. I was impressed. Everything in one place. Draws you in. If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, Leeds has a good meal ready.

OXFORD: Alumni in the American Colonies (Chart)

Oxford Alumni Who Shaped the USA and Canada, 1585-1797
1. Oxonians made it both possible and inevitable for the American colonies to become independent.
2. All of the eight colonies between New York and Florida were founded or once owned in whole or part by an Oxonian. (Cambridge played a bigger role in New England.) 
  

Date	Oxford Alum	College	US Connection	State	Comment
1585	Sir Walter Raleigh	Oriel, Oxford – but didn’t take up residence	Explorer, founded Roanoke for the glory of the Queen	VA later was NC	In 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh founded the first English colony at Roanoke in North America. He named the colony as Virginia after Queen Elizabeth I. However, the expedition being funded by himself, the Roanoke colony couldn't generate a stable revenue and was abandoned. The Carolina Province was later split off from Virginia and  its capital - Raleigh, NC - was named after Sir Walter. Read more at http://bit.ly/15B1UqE.
1567	Rev. Lawrence Washing-ton,  Fellow of Brasenose College Oxford (his two sons emigrated to Va.) was GW's gggfather.	Brasenose, Oxford (same college as current PM Cameron)	A Laurence Wasshington [sic] was registered at Oxford University in 1567 (at birth?).  Another Laurence Washington, likely his son, registered at Oxford University in 1594, from Northamptonshire. The Lawrences of Ashton Hall, Lancs., were intermarried with the de Lancasters and the Washingtons. (http://www.lawrencefamhis.com/ashton-o/p230.htm.)  George Washington (1732-99), first U.S. President (1789-1797), was born at Bridges Creek, Virginia. His great-grandfather John Washington and his brother Lawrence settled there in 1658 from Dillicar in Co. Westmorland. The background of the flag of Westmorland, just west of Durham County and Yorkshire, is the red-and-white stripes of the de Lancaster family, one form of whose crest has a single star in the canton.  The multiple Washington stars are a family addition.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-tepper-marlin/washington-coat-of-arms_b_1906733.html http://nyctimetraveler.blogspot.com/2013/03/george-washington-ties-to-oxford.html Many believe the U.S. stars and stripes are derived at least indirectly from GW’s family coat of arms, which feature red (Gules) stars (Mullets) and stripes (Bars). (The District of Columbia flag is a direct copy of the Washington family red-and-white stars and stripes.) The Washington, Md., flag has blue stars.	USA, VA DC	GW’s earliest recorded ancestor was Patric FitzDolfin de Offerton, whose son William de Hertburn served the bishop of Durham, and who in 1185 was granted the manor of Washington in return for the service of attending the episcopal hunt with four greyhounds. The family lived on the estate for 400 years, but in 1613 it was sold back to the church. http://www.4crests.com/washington-coat-of-arms.html Ancestry of George Washington (the use of the de Lancaster stripes suggests the family is related) : #Patric FitzDolfin de Offerton, c. 1145-1182 #William FitzPatric de Hertburn, c. 1165-1194 #William de Washington, c. 1180-1239  #Walter de Washington, c. 1212-1264 #William de Washington, c. 1240-1288 #Robert de Washington, 1265-1324 #Robert de Washington, c. 1296-1348 #John de Washington, c. 1346-1408 #John de Washington, c. 1380-1423 #Robert Washington, 1404-1483 #Robert Washington, 1455-1528 #John Washington, 1478-1528 #Lawrence Washington, 1500-1583  #Robert Washington, c. 1544-1623  #Lawrence Washington, c. 1567-1616  #Rev. Lawrence Washington, 1602-1653 Brasenose College gggfather  #John Washington, c. 1631-1677 migrated to USA ggfather #Lawrence Washington, 1659-1698 gfather #Augustine Washington, 1694-1743 father #George Washington, 1732-1799, first President http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ancestry_of_George_Washington&action=edit&section=3
1732	James Oglethorpe	Corpus Christi, Oxford	Reformer, exposed terrible conditions in debtor prisons. Saw Georgia as haven for refugees from Britain’s prisons. In fact, the actual immigrants were skilled people.	GA	Landed 1732, settled near present Savannah, GA, in 1733. Negotiated with Indians for land, created forts. Georgia established as a buffer between Spanish Florida and South Carolina. Abolished slavery. Tolerant of all religions except Roman Catholicism. Named Governor of Georgia.
1776 (book)	Adam Smith	Balliol, Ox	Led opposition to tariffs on trade. The Wealth of Nations was published in 1776.	USA	Founder of free-trade classical economics, originator of the concept of the invisible hand operating in markets. Opposed mercantilist ideas in “The Wealth of Nations.”
1632	Calvert, 1st and 2nd Barons Baltimore and brother	Trinity, Ox	Founder. Roman Catholic, sought a place where Catholics could find refuge, bc they were not allowed to colonize Virginia, Georgia and other colonies. Pioneer in religious tolerance. 1st Baron Calvert got the land in Md. carved out of Virginia for Catholics. One son went to America and the other stayed behind to take the title and work in government. http://ox-cam-nyc.blogspot.com/2012/09/oxford-educated-calverts-settle-maryland.html	MD	George Calvert, 1st Lord Baltimore, secured rights to Maryland as a Catholic haven in the way of expansion of anti-Catholic Virginia. Cecilius Calvert continued this interest as 2nd Lord Baltimore and his brother became the first governor. They worked both sides of the Atlantic as Virginians tried to fight back against the loss of some of their land.
c. 1710	John 2nd Baron Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville	Christ Church, Oxford	Founder, Carolinas. Inherited from his ggfather Sir George Carteret one-eighth of Province of Carolina along the Virginia border. Unlike other owners, he refused to sell back to the Crown. Granville County named after him. Oxford, NC named for his alma mater (http://www1.oxfordnc.org/index.html). Was the real power in the government when Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington (Trinity, Oxford graduate) was Britain's 2nd PM, after Walpole, for two years.	NC, SC	Descendant was grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales. Jonathan Swift said of him: “He carried away [from Oxford] more Greek, Latin and Philosophy than properly became a person of his rank.” Migration tended to be southward, with Virginians coming down to the Carolina for cheaper land. South Carolina split away (as Delaware did from Pennsylvania) in 1719-1729.
1758	William Pitt the Elder (1st Earl of Chatham)	Trinity, Ox	Kicked Out French + Allied Indians. http://ox-cam-nyc.blogspot.com/2013/03/bornemans-french-and-indian-war-shows.html	USA	Pitt had the imperial vision that supported British soldiers going to the colonies and chasing French forces to Canada (and eventually out of North America). http://ox-cam-nyc.blogspot.com/2012/09/oxford-in-usa-2-making-independence.html
1773	Frederick Lord North	Trinity, Oxford	Overtaxed the colonies to pay for Pitt’s wars. http://ox-cam-nyc.blogspot.com/2012/09/oxford-in-america-3-making-independence.html	USA	Pitt was greatly opposed to making the colonies pay.
1620	Oxford Pilgrims	Oxford	Colonist	MA	Various pilgrims landing at Plymouth etc. attended Oxford
1681	William Penn	Christ Church, Oxford	Founded Pennsylvania as an extension of New Jersey, which had been purchased as a Quaker haven. Like the Calverts, he was a pioneer of religious tolerance. Founded Philadelphia, whose charter became a basis of the U.S. Constitution. Became close to the founder of the Quakers, George Fox. Persecuted for his views, a jury’s refusal to convict him resulted in a breakthrough in the law of jury nullification.	PA, DE, NJ	Son of a supporter of the King of England, who was knighted and made an admiral, Penn – although he broke with his father on religious and peace issues - was given the land that is now known as Pennsylvania and Delaware as settlement of a debt owed by King Charles. A visionary, he created a colony committed to peace and envisioned a union of all the colonies, as well as a similar union in Europe. Charles II named Pennsylvania after William Penn’s father. Delaware split off bc the leaders of this area did not like being under a Quaker government.
Date	Cambridge	College	US Connection	State	Comment
1636	John Harvard	Emma-nuel, Cam- bridge	Colonist	MA	Donated his library to Harvard, thereby gave the College his name. Among the influential colonists were a number of Cambridge (hence Harvard's city name)  graduates. http://bit.ly/14bpApf