Then he was offered The Morehead.

“I toyed with not even taking it, which would have been the biggest mistake of my life,” says Murray, CNBC’s Washington bureau chief and a former Wall Street Journal editor.

Murray always intended to be a journalist, but at UNC he was exposed to a world beyond headlines and bylines. Mingling with fellow Moreheads introduced him to future economists, doctors, and historians.

Now his Rolodex is packed — crucial for any reporter worth his newspaper print. When he prepared to write a book about investing and the economy a couple of years ago, Murray even turned to a few Morehead friends in his research.

He tapped David Gardner ’88, co-founder of “The Motley Fool” financial column. He sought out Tom Darden ’76, CEO of Cherokee Investment Partners, which purchases polluted properties and cleans and redevelops them; Rob Rosiello ’79, a director at McKinsey & Company consulting firm, and Bruce Gellin ’77, executive director of the National Vaccine Program Office.

“It’s such a remarkable group of people,” Murray says. “The Morehead exposes you to really bright people with a wide range of interests.”

Murray’s relationship with the Morehead Foundation continues to flourish. Not only has he relied on old friends in his career, but he’s served on the Morehead Central Selection Committee and volunteered to host current Moreheads for summer internships. At the Wall Street Journal, Murray made sure his Morehead interns got writing experience. At CNBC, they help book guests and arrange show topics for Murray’s nightly news and interview program, The Capital Report.

Murray says his Morehead interns have always excelled, even beyond interns from the nation’s most prestigious journalism schools. He credits that to the varied experiences the Moreheads enjoy.

“Harvard lawyers and Yale doctors are pretty much a dime a dozen in the D.C. area,” Murray says. “The Morehead gives you a range that lets you stand out.”

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