Laureate Education announced it has launched an international scholarship initiative named in honor of Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education during the Clinton Administration, and a champion of making higher education accessible to those in need. The announcement was made by former President Bill Clinton and Douglas L. Becker, chief executive officer of Laureate Education at the Clinton Global Initiative Asia meeting in Hong Kong. Laureate will award 1,000 Richard W. Riley scholarships to deserving teachers around the world to help them earn an advanced degree in education, business or information technology.

“These scholarships are named in honor of Richard W. Riley for his global contributions to the field of education and to Laureate,” said Mr. Becker. “Our global network of universities will grant more than 1,000 scholarships to teachers around the world because we know that teachers have a tremendous impact on the lives of students and families and the positive development of society. Providing highly deserving teachers with advanced education empowers them to effect positive change and to make their communities stronger.”

Richard W. Riley served as United States Secretary of Education from 1993 to 2001. He previously served two terms as governor of the state of South Carolina. Recently, Mr. Riley was named one of the 20th century’s “Ten Best Cabinet Members” by Time Magazine. During his tenure as Secretary of Education, Mr. Riley spearheaded initiatives to improve academic standards and expand college grants and loans programs. In 2008, Walden University, a member of the Laureate International Universities network, named its College of Education after Richard W. Riley. The Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University is one of the largest and most prominent teacher education institutions in the United States.

Laureate Education will award the scholarships as part of a broad initiative to further educational opportunities throughout Laureate International Universities, a network of 42 institutions of higher education in 20 countries serving nearly 500,000 students. The scholarships are primarily focused at the master’s degree level, but will also be awarded to some undergraduate degree students. Each participating university will be supported in this initiative by the Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University.

President Clinton announced Laureate’s Commitment to Action initiative before the CGI community, which included world leaders from government, business, and the nonprofit sector such as Lee Kuan Yew, minister mentor and former prime minister of the Republic of Singapore; Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, president of the Republic of the Philippines; and Yuriko Koike, member of the House of Representatives of Japan.