Report from alum-headed NJ innovation office lists strides in government processes

New Jersey's Office of Innovation (OOI) released an inaugural impact report on Friday seeking to optimize government processes related to health care and other utilities affecting New Jersey residents, according to a press release.

Dave Cole, a Rutgers alum and New Jersey's second-ever chief innovation officer, spearheaded the effort, empathizing with people who rely on government assistance.

"When we turn to state government, it may be in a time of great uncertainty — such as when facing unemployment, a lack of stable housing or a need to access nutrition for your children," Cole wrote in the report. "How the government delivers in those moments is critical."

The release listed strides from the OOI's impact report, including a reduction of application completion times for unemployment insurance from 4 hours to 25 minutes — approximately 10 percent of how long it used to take. The OOI's work impacted thousands — and, in some cases, millions — of New Jersey residents, business owners and workers, according to the release.

The OOI report includes efforts assisted by the University, such as the University's offering of health services education to Some College, No Degree (SCND) students, or adults who dropped out of higher education and struggled to return. The OOI's Community and Engagement Lab conducted media campaigns to ensure SCND students were aware of resources made available to them by more than 10 public institutions of higher education.

Cole is also joined by fellow University affiliate Walker Gosrich, who works on artificial intelligence for the OOI through the Eagleton Institute of Politics as an Eagleton Science and Politics Fellow. AI was mentioned in the impact report as a tool to optimize government processes for state employees.

"We do this work out of a commitment to service and a belief that a government that works for all of us is necessary to build trust in our communities and meet the societal challenges we face, together," Cole wrote in the report.