The Richard W. Riley Institute at Furman University Leadership, Knowledge, Impact. The Riley Institute at Furman broadens student and community perspective about issues critical to South Carolina’s progress. It builds and engages present and future leaders, creates and shares data-supported information about the state’s core challenges, and links the leadership body to those solutions to drive sustainable solutions. Launched in 1999, the Institute is named for former South Carolina governor and former United States Secretary of Education Richard W. (Dick) Riley. It is committed to nonpartisanship in all it does and to a rhetoric-free, facts-based approach to change. Examples of how some of the Institute’s many programs fit into this “leadership, knowledge, impact” model are below. Please explore the menu bars above for information about the full range of programming.