The Honorable Richard W.
Riley
Secretary
U.S. Department of Education
President Bill Clinton chose Richard Riley to be Secretary of Education
in December 1992 after Riley won national recognition for his
highly successful effort to improve education in South Carolina.
During the President's first term, Secretary Riley helped launch
historic initiatives to raise academic standards, improve instruction
for the poor and disadvantaged, expand loans to help more Americans
go to college, prepare young people for the world of work, and
improve teaching. He also helped to create the Partnership for
Family Involvement in Education, which presently includes more
than 4,000 groups. In his second term, Secretary Riley has helped
win a major ruling by the Federal Communications Commission to
give schools and libraries deep discounts for Internet access
and telecommunications services and helped win major improvements
in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Secretary
Riley also worked with President Clinton to win tax cuts and
increase grants to help needy and middle-income families afford
college and provide lifelong learning opportunities to Americans
of all ages. Secretary Riley was a State representative and a
State senator from 1963 to 1977. He was elected Governor of South
Carolina in 1978 and reelected in 1982. He graduated cum laude
from Furman University and served as an officer on a U.S. Navy
minesweeper. Secretary Riley received a juris doctor degree from
the University of South Carolina.
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