As part of the Guarini Lecture Series, the Guarini Institute invites Dr. Marie-Jeanne Ndimbria-Rosner to speak about her leadership pathway tot he founding of Physically Active Youth, an after-school program in Windhoek, Namibia that provides academic assistance, life skills and sports to help youth learning in low-income communities gain access to tertiary education.
On March 13 the Guarini Institute for Government and Leadership hosted its 26th Annual High School Model U.N. conference. This year there were over 400 high school students from 20 schools throughout New Jersey.
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Join the Guarini Institute for Government and Leadership at their next panel discussion: “The N.J. Heroin and Opiate Crisis,” on October 24 in The Duncan Family Sky Room from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Panelists include James McGreevey, 52nd governor of New Jersey; Tim Eustace, assemblyman of the 38th legislative district; Cody Miller, councilman and council president for the Township of Monroe; Michael DeLeon, founder of Steered Straight; Joseph Coronato, Ocean County prosecutor; and Michele Perez, director of the municipal alliance commission in Williamstown, N.J. Stephen Stirling, author of Herointown will moderate. Contact [email protected] for more information.
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Pictured above from left are panel moderator, Mary Kate Naatus, Ph.D., and panelists Marilu Marcillo-Gomez, Ph.D., Nicholas Chiaravalloti, Annette Chaparro, Gordon MacInnes, Leila Sadeghi, Ph.D. ’05, Nick Sacco, Senator Steve Lonegan, and Michele Siekerka.
The Guarini Institute for Government and Leadership at Saint Peter’s University is dedicated to exploring key public policy issues at the local, state and national level. The latest panel hosted by the Institute on Tuesday, October 11 was focused on a critical issue in the state of New Jersey—raising the minimum wage to $15/hour. Read more here.
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Last week, The Guarini Institute in collaboration with the Caulfield School of Education hosted Ora Welch, President & CEO, HOPES; Dr. Marcia Lyles, Superintendent, Jersey City Public Schools; Sam Crane, Coordinator, Pre-K Our Way to participate on a panel about the expansion of Pre-k programs in the state of New Jersey. The panel was moderated by Joseph Doria, Ed.D., Dean of the Caulfield School of Education and Leila Sadeghi, Ph.D., Executive Director of The Guarini Institute
In 31 Abbott districts, Pre-K programs were implemented by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1998 as a result of a finance equity battle. Recent proposals have called for expanding investment in preschool programs- the first time since the late 2000s. The expansion bill S.997 calls for extending funding to $103 million for the two year program to an additional seventeen districts beyond the Abbott districts.
Dr. Lyles said that the Pre-K programs, also known as Head Start programs, were originally intended to close the poverty gap in urban communities.
“I think a commitment to a continuous improvement [in Jersey City] is a critical part. That’s certainly a principal in our early childhood program as well,” said Lyles.
The panel mentioned that the program’s success was attracting several observers including education officials from Norway.
“What’s so compelling is that [Head Start] was really directed to address the inequities of children living in poverty and children of color. It was directed to closing that gap and that is what we have to remember that we have to pay particular attention to that,” Lyles recalled.
The panel further discussed President Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty and whether or not it is possible to truly be eliminated.
“Poverty is not going to get off the map just because we wish it away. We’re going to have to find ways to bring our children along and make sure they get the education they need and that they get a job once they get out of school or stay in school long enough to get an education because we have such a high dropout rate,” said Ora Welch.
]]>Barnabas Health, the NJ Hospital Association, NJBCBS, and Drs. Kirmani and Korya of the JFK Neuroscience Institute of New Jersey,
spoke of the importance of healthcare systems to meet the challenges of the current climate in New Jersey. The panelists also touched upon the future of healthcare,
in particular, telemedicine and medical robotics. The panel was moderate by Drs. Doria and Korya. ]]>
Omar Humadi, Special Advisor to the Iraqi Ambassador of the United Nations, delivered the keynote address to the Guarini Institute’s High School Model UN program. With an audience of over 500 students and faculty, Mr. Humadi spoke of the importance for the youth involvement in global politics and democracy.
]]>Susan Ragheb, a senior majoring in Political Science with a minor in Chemistry and Biology, received Verbal Commendation in the World Health Organization. Her committee had over 130 participants and Ms. Ragheb was distinguished as being among the top delegates for her excellent debating skills and in-depth knowledge of international affairs. Ms. Ragheb has participated in several Model U.N. programs and is currently the Secretary-General of the Saint Peter’s Model U.N, a program under the Guarini Institute for Government and Leadership.
She is an honors student, a member of several honor societies and is currently interning for Senator Cory Booker. Additionally, she has collaborated with faculty members on a chemistry research project and a paper that will published at the 2016 American Chemical Society Conference.
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