The Riley Institute®

Applications

Teachers of Government Application; Information sheet; for information contact Liz Smith at 864.294.3674. Deadline is March 30

Emerging Public Leaders Application; EPL brochure; for information contact Brooke Culclasure at 864.294.3236. Deadline is April 5.

Calendar

FEBRUARY 18-19, 2010: Law & Society Series on Crime and Punishment

MARCH 1-3, 2010: Governor Christine Todd Whitman

 



 

 

S.C. Hall of Fame Honored Dick Riley on February 9

A formal induction ceremony was held Tuesday, February 9th at 10:30 a.m. in the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Secretary Riley, who currently serves as a member of Furman’s board of trustees, was introduced by Furman president David Shi during the induction ceremonies.

Persons eligible for induction into the S.C. Hall of Fame are those born in South Carolina who obtained recognition elsewhere and those born elsewhere but who lived and obtained recognition in the state. One contemporary citizen and one deceased citizen may be inducted annually. Past inductees include author Pat Conroy, President Andrew Jackson, jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, U.S. Sen. J. Strom Thurmond, astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr. and more than 70 others.

more . . .

 

2nd Annual Law & Society Symposium
Crime and Punishment

February 18 - 19, 2010
Charleston, SC

The Riley Institute and the Charleston School of Law will co-host the second annual Law and Society Series symposium February 18-19 that will focus on the topic of crime and punishment.

By bringing together different legal constituencies, the “Crime and Punishment” symposium will explore the range and functions of criminal punishment, evaluate whether existing law meets identified objectives, revisit the definition of cruel and unusual punishment, analyze the effect of the financial crisis on white collar crime, and examine the troubled relationship between schools and prison. In addition to identifying problems in the crime and punishment system, speakers will offer constructive solutions.

The program begins Thursday, February 18 at 5 p.m. in the Charleston Music Hall with a keynote address by Bryan A. Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative based in Montgomery, Alabama. The title of Mr. Stevenson’s address is “The Politics of Crime and Punishment: Condemnation, Mercy, and Justice.” Mr. Stevenson is also a professor at NYU Law School and argued recently before the Supreme Court of the United States.

The symposium continues on Friday, February 19 from 8:30 to 5 p.m. with a series of panel discussions by scholars, judges, lawmakers, lawyers, and public advocates. The second day’s activities take place at the Charleston Museum.

"The crime and punishment symposium will survey the functions of criminal punishment in law and society, determine shortcomings, and offer a look at suggested reforms,” explained Will Cook, assistant professor at the Charleston School of Law. “These issues are relevant to everyone, including lawyers in every discipline. When laws that criminalize and punish conduct create unintended consequences, social cost is high.”

According to Don Gordon, executive director of the Riley Institute at Furman, the symposium could not come at a more appropriate time. “Our state and others are confronted by a series of extremely important issues,” he said. “The conference represents an opportunity for a common sense discussion about why we criminalize and punish, and whether the systems our governments have created are accomplishing these goals.”

For more information on the panel discussions and times, click here. To register and pay for this conference online, click here. For more information contact: Prof. William J. Cook by email at <wcook@charlestonlaw.edu> or by phone at 843.377.2440.

 

Emerging Public Leaders 2009-10
with Secretary Riley

Emerging Public Leaders
2009-2010 Students Return to Campus

The Richard W. Riley Institute of Government, Politics, and Public Leadership will host the Emerging Public Leaders (EPL) students at Furman University on March 19-20, 2010. This program is funded by KnowledgeWorks Foundation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The view the students' Spring Agenda, click here.

These outstanding students participated in the EPL program during the summer of 2009 and will return to campus to present their chosen public service projects. As a requirement of the EPL program, each student must plan, implement, and present the results of a public service project. Presentations are judged, and criteria include vision, planning, execution, program impact, and presentation skills. To view the Judges' Criteria, click here and for the Project Presentation Outline and Guidelines, click here.


(l-r) Dan Cooper, Gilda Cobb-Hunter,
Bobby Harrell, Hugh Leatherman

SC House Member
Dan Cooper
to receive annual
David Wilkins
Leadership Award

Daniel T. Cooper, a member of the South Carolina State House of Representatives from District 10 in Anderson County, has been named the winner of the fifth annual David Wilkins Award for Excellence in Legislative Leadership. The award, sponsored by the Riley Institute at Furman University, was presented to Cooper at the annual Wilkins Award dinner at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on Monday, January 11, 2010.

Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff, who has covered politics and other news for more than three decades at CNN, NBC and PBS and currently is senior correspondent for “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” was the keynote speaker.

The event, held in conjunction with the opening of the legislative session, featured a reception at 6 p.m. followed by the dinner and award presentation beginning at 7 p.m.

The Wilkins Award for Excellence in Legislative Leadership recognizes a state legislator who “embodies the highest principles of leadership based on integrity, compassion, vision, civility and courage.” State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter of Orangeburg County received the 2009 award. Other recipients have been John Drummond, Bobby Harrell and Hugh K. Leatherman.

Press Coverage: Anderson Independent-Mail, The State, The Greenville News

more . . .

 

RECENT EVENTS/NEWS

  • Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Nov 7 - 15, 2009. To learn more about this event, go to the student's blog; for more information about the 2009 APEC meeting, click here.
  • Hodding Carter, "Democracy Challenged: How Big Money in Politics Influences Who Runs for Office, Who Wins, and What They Do Once Elected”
 


 

Richard W. Riley

The Riley Institute at Furman, named in honor of former U.S. Secretary of Education and S.C. Gov. Richard W. Riley, is a multi-faceted, non-partisan institute affiliated with the Department of Political Science at Furman University.

You can receive periodic email alerts or mailings on important policy events and news from the Riley Institute by sending an e-mail to the following address:

info@rileyinstitute.org

(Please put "Subscribe" in the subject line and include your company and preferred mailing address in the body of the message)

Contact the Institute, click here


The Richard W. Riley Institute of Government, Politics and Public Leadership at Furman University
3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, S.C. 29613 | 864.294.3251 |
info@rileyinstitute.org