The program is named in honor of U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, a Greenville native and 1954 Furman graduate who served two terms as Governor of South Carolina from 1978 to 1986.

To officially announce the creation of the Riley Institute on Oct. 22, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin spoke to more than 350 people at a special luncheon on campus that included national and state political leaders.

"The Richard W. Riley Institute of Government, Politics and Public Leadership will be one of the nation's premier academic programs," said Furman president David E. Shi. "It will bring nationally and internationally prominent political figures to campus on a regular basis, and it will provide a variety of outstanding learning opportunities for our students. It is also our great pleasure to name this program in honor of Dick Riley, a consummate statesman who has given so much of time and energy to his alma mater over the years."

Shi said the various programs planned for the institute will be supported by a special fund-raising effort. He added that the Riley Institute Steering Committee hopes eventually to raise more than $7 million in endowment for the program.

Plans for the Richard W. Riley Institute of Government, Politics and Public Leadership include:

* The Riley Conference on Government, Politics and Public Leadership. Nationally recognized speakers from the world of government, politics and public leadership will come to Furman each year to participate. The conference, to be held in the fall and spring, will be convened by Riley and feature prominent political analysts who will discuss international affairs, government policy and timely political issues. The first Riley conference is expected to take place in the spring of 2000.

* A Riley Fellow-in-Residence. The Riley Fellow, a former diplomat, legislator or prominent academician, would remain on-campus for an academic term. During his or her visit, the fellow would give public lectures, speak in classes and regularly meet with students and faculty.

* The Riley Scholars Program. The scholarship program would recognize political science majors who excel academically and are active in the department's programs, including study abroad, Mock Trial, academic symposiums and service learning projects.

* An endowment that will fund stipends for teaching associates, research associates and student internships. The endowment would also support study abroad programs for political science majors.

* The Riley Summer Institute for Teachers of Political Science. Middle and high school teachers of political science in South Carolina would be eligible to attend this weeklong, summer workshop free of charge. During a week of intense training, teachers will discuss the latest political trends and classroom techniques and have the opportunity to interact with their peers.

"The political science department has been working on this project for 10 years and we are excited to see things finally come together," said Cleve Fraser, chair of the department. "The Institute will serve as a tribute to one of Furman's greatest alumni while solidifying our department's place among the nation's best political science programs."

In the 1998 Franklin and Marshall survey of schools whose graduates went on to earn Ph.D. degrees in their fields of study, Furman's political science department ranked number one in the South. The department was also ranked among the top 15 nationwide among the 132 national liberal arts colleges in the same survey.

Riley was first elected to political office in 1962 as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. He was also a member of the state Senate (1967-76) and served two terms as Governor of South Carolina, where he earned national recognition for his efforts to improve education in the state. From 1987 to 1991, Riley frequently spoke to Furman students as a Distinguished Lecturer in Political Science.

President Clinton named Riley Secretary of Education in 1992, and Riley has since helped launch historic initiatives to raise academic standards, improve instruction for the poor and disadvantaged, and expand grant and loan programs for college students. The Christian Science Monitor says that Riley is regarded as "one of the great statesmen of education in this century" and Washington Post columnist David Broder has called him one of the "most decent and honorable people in public life."