News - Jul 16, 2008

James Dean '89 Steps Down as Co-chair of British Program

The Foundation salutes James for fifteen years of service

Morehead Alumnus James Dean '89 is not only in the business of creating award-winning reality television, but for the past fifteen years, he has also been in the business of helping to turn dreams into reality.

Each year, talented and hopeful students attending secondary schools in Great Britain vie for the life-changing opportunity of being selected as a Morehead-Cain Scholar. This year, four students were selected to be interviewed by the Morehead-Cain Central Selection Committee in Chapel Hill. Three of the students were awarded the Scholarship and will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this fall.

James joined the Foundation's British Selection Committee in 1993, serving as chairman from 1997 to 2007 and as co-chairman during the 2007-2008 selection process. He has also served as chairman (2002-2007) and co-chairman (2001-2002, 2007-2008) of the British Scholarship Committee.

And thanks to James and his fellow committee members, the British selection process is stronger than ever.

"It's been a very fulfilling 15 years being part of the British Program. When I joined, we were in the process of restructuring the way we worked, and came up with a model where the British Alumni formed the committee to promote the Scholarship and perform the interviews. Thanks to the Foundation's support, that system is still in place, and works extremely well."

James says that a large part of what makes the selection process successful is Alumni involvement.

"We always encourage Alumni to help us--to join the committee, to help promote the Scholarship to their old schools, and to contribute in other ways (College Day, school visits, advising nominees). It's always important to have recent Alumni come on board, since they are the ones that have the freshest experience of the Scholarship and its potential to transform lives."

And because of his belief in the life-transforming opportunity that is the Morehead-Cain experience, James's commitment to the Program has been invaluable, as he passionately encourages Alumni participation and has a knack for identifying students who will make the most of the Scholarship.

"We are always looking for [young] people who have demonstrated a desire and an ability to find leadership challenges in their schools and in life outside school. This generally means people with a strong sense of self-motivation and a need to challenge themselves. British students are often more reserved than their American counterparts, so without an innate desire to seek out challenges and leadership positions, I don't think they would achieve as much as we'd like them to at Chapel Hill."

As an Alumnus of the program, James definitely fits the bill. During his studies at Carolina, he explored his interest in film and used his Morehead summer experiences to broaden his horizons and find his voice.

James has shared his voice with the world as a successful London-based filmmaker and television producer. Some of his credits include A&E's reality show Airline, Temptation Island, Celebrity Fit Club, and Shrink, an award-winning comedy that he wrote, directed, and produced. James produces two to three programs each year for the major television networks in the United Kingdom and is currently working on two feature films--one he is writing and the other he is producing. James also has a comedy pilot called This is Jinsy in the works, which he hopes to sell to a network and develop into a full series.

In addition to contributing to the world at large via his films and television shows, James continues to be involved, along with his partner Dean, in the charity Room to Read. Through this charity, James supports the building of schools and libraries for children in the developing world, as well as funding for girls' scholarships and the publication of much-needed children's books. With the help of James and his fellow volunteers, Room to Read has recently funded a school in Laos and a library in Vietnam.

And what are James's hopes for the Morehead-Cain Scholars Program going forward? His "hopes have always been that the Program, like any good business, keeps growing." To help foster that growth, James will continue to serve on the British Selection Committee and act as an advisor for the 2008-2009 selection process, helping to attract outstanding potential scholars, create new partnerships, and expand the reach of the Program.

With the support of talented and devoted Alumni like James, the Morehead-Cain British selection process will continue to produce Scholars who will uphold the tradition of striving for excellence and sharing their unique gifts with the world.

"The Morehead-Cain Alumni group is incredibly diverse, and while most of us believe in the Morehead-Cain creed of trying to contribute to the world at large, we all do so in very different ways."

The Morehead-Cain Foundation acknowledges with gratitude the time, energy, and commitment of James Dean and the many other volunteers on the British Selection Committee who dedicate themselves to the success of the selection process each year.