The purpose of the Governor and Mrs. Richard W. Riley Award for Excellence in Dropout Prevention is to identify and bring recognition to an outstanding individual who has made significant contributions to the advancement of dropout prevention initiatives in the state of South Carolina. The National Dropout Prevention Center, College of Education, at Clemson University, selects an individual for this award who exhibits strong leadership and accomplishments for effective dropout prevention strategies directed to initiatives in South Carolina and/or work that furthers the mission of the Center/Network. Jerome Singleton has served as Commissioner of the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) for 11 years. He has been with the organization for more than 20 years, having served as Associate Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner before moving to his current position. The SCHSL directs and administers the high school and middle school interscholastic athletic activities of the 415 member schools across the state of South Carolina. Mr. Singleton is currently serving as the president-elect of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). In 2017-18, he will serve as the President of NFHS.
As his work, service, and support of interscholastic athletics has provided a framework and context for relationships that are a driving force to keep students in school and on track for high school graduation, The National Dropout Prevention Center is pleased to present Jerome Singleton with the Governor and Mrs. Richard W. Riley Award for Excellence in Dropout Prevention. In doing so, we also recognize the role of coaches, volunteers, and community members in dropout prevention through connections formed in extracurricular activities.