The Riley Institute is one of the nation’s premier centers for education renewal. It is a multi-faceted, non-partisan institute associated with the Department of Political Science at Furman University. Named for former Governor of South Carolina and United States Secretary of Education Richard Riley, the Institute is unique in the United States in the emphasis it places on engaging students in the various arenas of politics, public policy, and public leadership.
Currently, The Riley Institute is funded through a blend of support from Furman, program fees, and one-time gifts, grants, and sponsorships designated for specific initiatives. Endowment funding will stabilize ongoing operating budgets while also growing the Institute’s capacity to serve as a state, regional, and national leader for strategic education initiatives and economic development.
The Endowment Campaign will sustain The Riley Institute’s work in four critical areas:
- Refining the strategies for public education that grew out of the Institute’s landmark 2008 study on education in South Carolina and its role in economic development.
- Extending the network of innovative high schools implementing project-based learning and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics curricula to develop competencies that create intellectual capital and new opportunity.
- Expanding the diversity leaders initiative into the teaching, law enforcement, and healthcare professions, inspiring professionals in those fields to embrace the benefits of a diverse society.
- Strengthening economic and social change by convening core leadership groups, notably the diversity leaders alumni, and building a shared agenda for progress.
Please join us in sustaining the work of Richard W. Riley and his Institute for future generations.
To learn more about how you can support The Riley Institute, contact Shon Herrick, Associate Vice President for Development, shon.herrick@furman.edu or 864.294.3436