What is the Advance Team?
The Riley Institute Advance Team is a group of select students who are passionate about politics and public policy and who wish to engage in substantive peer-led discussions about critical issues facing our country. The Advance Team helps to promote political engagement on campus and in the greater Greenville area. Members of the Advance Team play a crucial role in staffing and executing various Riley Institute events throughout the year and, in the process, have special opportunities to interact with local, national, and international leaders.
What does the Advance Team do?
Members of the Advance Team engage the following core activities:
- Help host high-level speakers on Furman’s campus, which comes with unique opportunities to connect with these speakers through one-on-one and small-group engagements. Past visitors hosted by the Advance team include:
- President Bill Clinton
- former Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell
- former director of NASA Charles Bolden
- the South Carolina Supreme Court justices
- Plan a CLP based entirely on A-Team members’ interests. Everything from topic and speaker selection to advertising and event logistics is student-led.
- Lead and participate in bi-monthly policy discussions. The goal of these discussions is to engage in open, civil, and substantive peer-led dialogue about current critical issues and their possible solutions.
- Host the annual Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Legislative and Civic Awards Dinner in Columbia each January. This signature event draws members of the state legislature and community and corporate leaders from across South Carolina.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Members of the Advance Team represent the Riley Institute and Furman University at all Riley Institute CLP events (typically 1-2 events per month).
Additionally, members of the Advance Team attend twice-monthly meetings where they discuss politics and public policy with their peers.
Finally, members of the Advance Team may have ongoing projects outside of meetings and events, such as helping to plan the Advance Team CLP event, conducting surveys across campus, and helping to promote Riley Institute events.
We accept applications from any major and welcome a variety of perspectives on the team. We encourage anyone with an interest in politics and public policy to apply. Among the 36 members of the 2025-2026 Advance Team, 21 majors were represented.
The Advance Team has no cost for students. All costs, including materials and meals with speakers on and off campus, are paid for by the Riley Institute.
Applications open each February. Students apply in the spring to be part of the team the following year. For more information about when and how to apply, contact Kendall Gallagher-King.
- U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
- U.S. Capitol Tour
- U.S. Supreme Court Presentation
When applications are open, students can apply to the Advance Team through this webpage. The application process is competitive and strives to choose strong students who will represent the Riley Institute and engage with campus guests with professionalism, dependability, and integrity.
Students are required to submit a resume and a few short essays to be considered, and new applicants are asked to provide the name of a Furman faculty or staff member who will provide a reference upon request. Members of the team must reapply each year.
Yes. Studying abroad will not negatively impact your chance of being accepted, even though you will only participate in Advance Team activities when you are on campus.
We accept rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Applications open in the spring, so the earliest a student can apply for the team is the spring of their freshman year.
Once you’ve ben accepted to the team, there will be an introductory meeting in April so you can meet your fellow A-teamers and learn more about the year to come. Official Advance Team duties will begin when you return to Furman in the fall.