RCSG Summer 2024 Reading Recommendations
Summertime is a perfect time of year to take some time off and catch up on some good reading. That’s why, for the second year in a row, the River Crossing Team has put together the following list of book recommendations that we believe our clients and friends would enjoy. (1/2)
Eric Shuffler
Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief by James M. McPherson
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
Janellen Duffy
Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Amy Bressler
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Yasmin Brissac
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bordain
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Tyra Gibbs
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Tim White
The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood by Jane Leavy
Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker
Big Wins for Children & Literacy
Governor Murphy was in Newark Tuesday morning to sign a pair of bills promoting literacy as officials look to stem the tide of pandemic-related academic challenges.
The bills will strengthen literacy screening requirements in the state, where about 58% of third-graders have failed to meet grade-level reading standards. Murphy signed the bill in the library of Newark’s Park Elementary School, joined by Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, RCSG’s Janellen Duffy, education leaders, and about 10 students.
The first bill requires biannual literacy screenings for students between kindergarten and third grade and allocates $5.25 million for the screenings and the founding of a Working Group on Student Literacy. The working group will recommend strategies and policies for improving literacy to the Department of Education.
The second bill creates the Office of Learning Equity and Academic Recovery, a Department of Education office that will research practices to promote literacy, educational equity, and professional development.
AI in NJ Gets Big Investment
Governor Murphy signed into law legislation sponsored by Senator Raj Mukherji and Assemblyman Chris Tully - establishing the Next New Jersey Program that seeks to attract new investment into NJ's surging AI industry.
This effort comes as a building block to Governor Murphy's efforts to solidify NJ as a leading force and space for the AI industry. This past December, the Governor announced its partnership with Princeton University to develop the AI Hub.
The Hub is expected to bring researchers, industry leaders, and start-up companies to advance ethical development in the emerging field. In addition, last fall, Governor Murphy also established the AI Task Force which has been tasked with studying the societal impacts and emerging AI technologies.
The Next New Jersey Program, which will be administered by the New Jersey Economic Development Agency (NJEDA), will award tax credits to businesses that are engaged in artificial intelligence work or large-scale AI data centers.
This tax incentive reinforces New Jersey's commitment to the industry and paves the way for significant opportunities and advancements in AI technology.
Rowan University Awards Students with James P. Fox Memorial Scholarships
The Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship (RIPPAC) and the James P. Fox Memorial Fund has named three university students as 2024 Fox
Scholars.
The Fox Scholars Program was established to introduce and promote careers within government, political, and public affairs to college students interested in the public sector. Students are typically political science majors. The program was founded in 2017 to honor Jamie Fox (1954 – 2017) and recognize his lifelong commitment to public service. The program’s mission is to provide students with real-life public-sector experience and connection to networking opportunities.
The three Rowan University students will pursue the following internships:
- Alyson Schaefer, a rising junior from Sicklerville, NJ, is double majoring in Political Science and History, and has an unpaid internship with the Atlantic County Democratic Committee.
- Gianna DiGiovanni, a rising junior from Marlton, NJ, is double majoring in Political Science and International Studies with a concentration in Global and Comparative Perspectives. She is working at two unpaid internships this Summer: One with New Jersey Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald/ Assemblywoman Pam Lampitt and the other is with the Gloucester County Democratic Committee.
- Talha “TJ” Shuja, a rising senior from Somerville, NJ, is majoring in Political Science, and has an unpaid internship with New Jersey Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis.
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