News Release

Carolina’s alumni association honors ESPN anchor,
two educators for leadership as young alumni

CHAPEL HILL — A sports journalist and two pioneers in elementary education recently received Distinguished Young Alumni Awards at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Stuart Scott, Dacia Toll and Douglas McCurry received the awards from the General Alumni Association for bringing credit to the university through their achievements.

Scott, an ESPN anchor, has interviewed celebrities such as fellow Carolina alumnus Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Bill Clinton. Though his schedule precluded his participation this year, Scott likes to return to Chapel Hill to host festivities for Late Night with Roy – the annual opening night of men’s basketball practice. He majored in communications in addition to radio, television and motion pictures at the university. He also worked at WXYC campus radio and played wide receiver and defensive back for the club football team.

Toll, a charter school director, has worked to address the question of unequal academic achievement for minority children in America. She was one of the founders of Amistad Academy, a charter school in New Haven, Conn., that has received national publicity for its ability to help students reach their potential. Toll studied political science and economics as a Morehead Scholar at UNC, went to the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship and studied at Yale law school. As Amistad’s director, she lobbies lawmakers about state funding for charter schools and establishes partnerships with businesses.

McCurry teaches at Amistad and also was a founder of the charter school. He majored in history and journalism as a Morehead scholar at UNC. He is president of Achievement First, an organization created by Amistad leaders to replicate the success of their school in other communities. Toll is the superintendent of that organization.

The distinguished young alumni awards honor alumni 40 or younger whose achievements bring credit to the university. Past recipients include Mia Hamm, Sallie Krawcheck, Kaye Gibbons, Kevin Martin and Jordan. A complete list is available at alumni.unc.edu/DYA_awards

The General Alumni Association is a self-governed, nonprofit organization serving alumni and friends of UNC.

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General Alumni Association contact: Douglas Dibbert, (919) 962-7050

News Services contact: Lisa Katz, (919) 962-2093