Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication
To prepare students for the responsibilities of inspired leadership and service in the vibrant public discourse that is essential to the health of our nation’s democracy, the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication has for two decades provided students with unparalleled experiential and programmatic opportunities
Since 2008, the Fitzwater Center and Franklin Pierce University Polling has partnered with regional media—most recently with The Boston Herald and NBC-10 Boston/NECN/Telemundo—to cover the road to the White House, which starts in the Granite State, home of the First-in-the-Nation Primary. Students and faculty from multiple disciplines across campus work in classes and in the field with Franklin Pierce Polling and Herald staff to cover the Iowa Caucuses, the N.H. Primary, the national political conventions, the November vote and the Presidential Inauguration as credential media. The Fitzwater Center also is a resource to external constituencies for the study of the relationship between the presidency and the media, and of the role of that relationship in the public discourse.
Students seeking professional development opportunities to help their resumes stand out can intern or volunteer with the Fitzwater Center’s award-winning productions, which keep the studio lights on and the mics hot year-round. Television production experience can be found in the Patterson Television Suite, where students work in master control with the Fitzwater Center staff as they record and edit New Hampshire Public Broadcasting’s “The State We’re In,” a weekly public affairs show that hit its 100th episode in 2022. Students can also work as part of the production crew for two regular podcasts: “$100 Plus Mileage,” with Citizens Count, and “The Common Ground Initiative,” with Anthony Payton. These opportunities and more are made possible through The Granite State News Collaborative, of which the Fitzwater Center is a founding partner.
The Pierce Media Group offers additional opportunities to apply what students learn in the classroom in real-world settings. The NATAS-award winning Ravens Sports Network livestreams every home game to the NE-10 Now Network, while the PMG’s political reporting unit, PoliticsFitzU, offers coverage and analysis of public affairs. Students can also be part of the regular news show on FPTV; host talk radio or music shows on WFPC-LP 105.3 FM, the area’s arts and culture station; or write for The Pierce Arrow, the campus print newspaper.
The Fitzwater Center offers a vibrant slate of programming for campus and regional communities, including national Fitzwater Forums; the Tuesday Briefings public affairs series; the Fry Lecture Series; Constitution Day observances; The Fitzwater Center Honors and The Medallion Lecture; and IndieLens Pop-Up, a national civic engagement initiative sponsored by PBS and ITV.
The 12,000-square-foot comprehensive communications facility includes the Patterson Television Suite, equipped with advanced remote technologies; a smaller high-definition studio available for student use; two high-definition mobile field production units; an audio production studio and editing suite; a high-definition video production instructional laboratory, classroom and editing suites, all with Adobe Premier on a Macintosh platform, digital media technology for use in student’s coursework, and an interactive journalism lab. For further information regarding The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication, contact Dr. Kristen Nevious, director, at (603) 899-1039 or email neviousk@franklinpierce.edu.
