Schools with Most Influential Alumni

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Many colleges and universities have gained their reputation from the success of their alumni. Thus, in your opinion, which schools have the most influential alumni, not just in the U.S., but around the world.</p>

<p>A brief list that can be expanded by subsequent posts:</p>

<p>Issac Newton, Charles Darwin -- University of Cambridge
Martin Luther -- University of Erfurt (Germany)
Albert Einstein -- ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)
Alexander Graham Bell -- University of Toronto
Thomas Jefferson -- College of William and Mary</p>

2

<p>Chicago's list is pretty interesting:</p>

<p><a href="http://www-news.uchicago.edu/resources/alumni/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www-news.uchicago.edu/resources/alumni/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

3

<p>With a scientific focus:</p>

<p>J. Robert Oppenheimer -- Harvard University
Enrico Fermi -- University of Chicago
Erwin Schrödinger -- University of Zürich.
Neils Bohr -- University of Copenhagen
Sigmund Freud -- University of Vienna
Edwin Hubble -- University of Chicago
Richard Feynman -- Princeton University
Gregor Mendel -- University of Vienna</p>

4

<p>Five schools are the undergraduate alma maters of multiple U.S. Presidents:</p>

<p>Harvard - 5 (both Adamses, both Roosevelts, Kennedy)
Yale - 3 (both Bushes, Taft)
William & Mary - 3 (Jefferson, Monroe, Tyler)
Princeton - 2 (Madison, Wilson)
West Point - 2 (Grant, Eisenhower)</p>

5

<p>Feynman did undergrad at MIT, I think...? He's most famously associated with CalTech, though he was at Princeton and Cornell for some time.</p>

<p>Hubble did undergrad at Chicago, where there's a mini-shrine honoring his athletic accomplishments. I kid you not. You can see it right next to the first Heisman trophy ever given.</p>

6

<p>Yeah you're right, MIT not Princeton.</p>

7

<p>Neil Armstrong, Astronaut, USC
Frank Gehry, Architect, USC
Thom Mayne, Architect, USC
Chris DeWolfe, Co-founder and current CEO of MySpace, USC
Steve Goodall, President of J.D. Power and Associates, USC
Paul Orfalea, Founder of Kinko's, USC
LeVar Burton, We all grew up watching Reading Rainbow!!, USC
George Lucas, Director and Producer, USC
More at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_Southern_California_people%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_Southern_California_people&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

8

<p>How about a university with an alumni association on the moon...</p>

<p>The Apollo 15 featured an all-Michigan crew (James Irwin, David Scott and Alfred Worden). </p>

<p>"Two alumni set foot on the lunar surface on the Apollo 15 mission in 1971. They established a chapter of the University's alumni association on the Moon. They carried with them about 20 (miniature Michigan) flags into orbit."</p>

9

<p>Let me add two more since global health is my field:</p>

<p>Walter Reed (confirmed the mosquito transmission of yellow fever) -- University of Virginia, NYU</p>

<p>Jonas Salk (developed first polio vaccine that helped eradicate that disease throughout the world) -- City College (CUNY), NYU</p>

10

<p>Martin Luther King Jr.-BU!!!!!! :)</p>

11

<p>W&M has two alums that founded two of the best schools in the country.</p>

<p>Thomas Jefferson- U of Virginia
William Barton Rogers- MIT</p>

12

<p>W&M is the second oldest university in the country. There are two ways to look at that. </p>

<p>One: prestige, historical importance and the fact that it set the foundation for many of the founding minds of our nation.
Two: the founding fathers didn't have much of a selection at the time. So, of course you're going to get a lot of influential alumni coming out of W&M.</p>

13

<p>You could make an argument that Jon Stewart is one of the most influential people in America right now. W&M '84</p>

14

<p>Not necessarily influential, but some celebrities and the colleges they attended:</p>

<p>-- Tucker Max: University of Chicago
-- Spike Lee: Morehouse College
-- Steven Colbert: Hampden-Syndey College, transferred to Northwestern's theater program
-- Dr. Seuss: Dartmouth
-- Howard Stern: BU
-- Mike Bloomberg: Johns Hopkins
-- Sylvia Plath: Smith College
-- Steven Spielberg: USC dropout, CSU Long Beach dropout (awarded degrees from both ex post facto)
-- Katie Couric: UVA</p>

15

<p>-- Howard Stern: BU</p>

<p>BUCGS Rep'n :)</p>

16

<p>University of Florida for Government:</p>

<pre><code>* Leonard F. Chapman, Jr., decorated Marine and Commandant
* Lawton Chiles, former Florida governor and U.S. Senator
* John Delaney, former mayor of Jacksonville and president of UNF
* Bob Graham, former Florida governor and U.S. Senator
* Spessard Holland, former Florida governor and U.S. Senator,
* Buddy MacKay, former Florida lieutenant governor, interim governor
* Bill McCollum, former U.S. Representative; Florida Attorney General
* Joe Scarborough, former congressman and MSNBC talk show host
* George A. Smathers, former U.S. Senator and Presidential Candidate,
* Bruce Smathers, former Florida Secretary of State
* Jeronimo Sandoval Sorto, former mayor of San Pedro Sula, Honduras
* Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay
* Marco Rubio, current Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
* Jeff Kottkamp, current Lt. Governor of Florida
* Gus Bilirakis current US Congressman for Florida's 9th District
* Corrine Brown current US Congresswoman for Florida's 3rd District
* Ander Crenshaw current US Congressman for Florida's 4th District
* Connie Mack IV current US Congressman for Florida's 14th District
* John Mica current US Congressman for Florida's 7th District
* Jeff Miller current US Congressman for Florida's 1st District
* Adam Putnam current US Congressman for Florida's 12th District
* Robert I. Wexler current US Congressman for Florida's 19th District
* Debbie Wasserman Schultz current US Congresswoman for Florida's 20th
* Andy Owens former Gator basketball player and current Judge
</code></pre>

17

<p>First Heisman Trophy winner (1935)</p>

<p>came from UChicago?!</p>

18

<p>UChicago used to be in the big 10.</p>

<p>To get back to the space theme, 22</a> astronauts graduated from Purdue, including Neil Armstrong.</p>

19

<p>Wisconsin</p>

<p>Frank lloyd Wright-architect
John Muir-conservationist
Charles Lindbergh--aviation
Lee Raymond--COB Exxon
David Lesar--CEO Halliburton
Peter Morgridge-COB Cisco
David Grainger-COB Grainger
AC Nielsen--AC Nielsen Co. Founder
Todashi Okamura--CEO Toshiba
Lowell Bergman--The Insider, 60 Minutes
David Mariness--Pulitzer prize
William Siemering--created All things considered for NPR</p>

20

<p>Edwin Howard Armstrong (inventor of the FM radio, their most influential alumni in my opinion) -- Columbia University</p>