Education, Arts, and Culture

Major Initiatives

Analysis of the Town of Mount Pleasant Arts Community 

The town of Mount Pleasant sought to better understand the art community that it serves.  The Riley Center led this research and used interviews with administrators, council members, and residents in order to complete this project.  An arts inventory and community questionnaire was also developed, and the data was paired with existing literature and examples to offer findings and recommendations for the future.  You can find the full report here. 

Know2

  1. Know that in the world of today being highly educated is essential for economic success and a high quality of life.

  2. Know that being highly educated is possible for me, for my family, and for my community.

To this end, the SC-HEF developed Know2 pilot programs in three South Carolina counties: Cherokee County, Beaufort County, and Marlboro County.

The Riley Center became involved through the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE), developing and administering survey and research tools to gather public perception of higher education in these regions.  With the information gathered from these surveys, the SC-HEF and CHE were able to better focus the development of the program and its goals, and help overcome any negative perceptions of higher education from the community. 

For more information, please visit the Commission on Higher Education.

Lowcountry Graduate Center Educational Assessment

In 2015, a comprehensive study using focus groups and surveys was performed for the Lowcountry Graduate Center in order to determine the interest in and barriers to obtaining a graduate degree in the fields of advanced manufacturing and engineering, education, and healthcare.  Click here to read the entire study.  You can learn more about the LGC and the programs that they offer by visiting their website here.

Charleston Promise Neighborhood

The Riley Center has worked with CPN since its inception providing grant writing support, program evaluation, planning and assessment assistance and other expertise.