‘First in Nation’ project announced

Oct. 23, 2006

A college in New Hampshire and an Iowa college will collaborate on a national project to encourage college students to participate in the 2008 presidential election.

Iowa’s presidential caucuses and New Hampshire’s presidential primaries will remain the first national events prior to the presidential election. Franklin Pierce College of New Hampshire and Wartburg College of Iowa, have announced their joint “Engaging Students: First in the Nation” project. The partnership will involve students and faculty at both colleges, as well as candidates and the media.

“First in the Nation” is intended to bridge the nation through an intercollegiate and interdisciplinary study of the 2008 presidential election, with a particular emphasis on early contests in key states. The program will help students, faculty and staff members at both institutions explore the presidential campaigns, the election process and the major issues being discussed by the candidates. Wartburg College is in Waverly, Iowa, and Franklin Pierce College is in Rindge, N.H.

The “Engaging Students: First in the Nation” project will focus on campaigning leading up to the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries. The partnership will provide a platform for candidates to simultaneously engage voters in both states. It will also prepare students to participate in presidential politics and foster a national cadre of academic expertise in the modern era of frontloaded campaigns.

The “First in the Nation Project” is especially relevant in light of recent changes to the pre-election schedule, said participants from both schools.

Despite the Democratic National Committee’s decision to insert a caucus between the leadoff Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries and to add a second primary shortly after New Hampshire’s vote, these two states have retained their historic first-in-the-nation status. That was the motivation for the two institutions coming together, said representatives from Franklin Pierce and Wartburg.

The idea for the collaboration was conceived at the Fitzwater Center for Communication at Franklin Pierce. Marlin Fitzwater, former press secretary to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, founded the Fitzwater Center to prepare students for civic engagement and provide opportunities to study the political process.

“The Fitzwater Center wanted to collaborate with a liberal arts college in the state of Iowa similar in size and student make-up to Franklin Pierce,” said Fitzwater. “We believe this project will provide unparalleled opportunities not only to educate students but to educate the nation as well during the 2008 presidential election cycle.”

This will be accomplished through student and faculty exchanges between the two institutions, new curricular connections and personal interaction with candidates and reporters in each state. “First in the Nation” will also serve the electorate through public forums, analysis and news dissemination.

“Both institutions will embrace our historic ‘first in the nation’ status to create a collaborative curriculum between the two campuses focused on the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary,” explained Dr. Fred Waldstein, professor of political science and director of the Wartburg Leadership Institute.

The project began last winter when Dr. Michael J. Bell, provost of Franklin Pierce, contacted Dr. Ferol Menzel, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the Wartburg College faculty. Teams from both institutions met in March to work out details of the partnership. Waldstein and Dr. Penni Pier, associate professor of communication arts, were named co-directors at Wartburg. Dr. Kristen Nevious, director of the Fitzwater Center, is the project leader at Franklin Pierce.

Ten students from each school will be selected as “First in the Nation” scholars and will have unique opportunities to travel between both states during the 2008 Campaign. Prior to the campaign, students will participate in workshops and exchanges between the schools. Faculty from Franklin Pierce and Wartburg are currently developing connections between their course content and issues surrounding the upcoming election.

Dr. George J. Hagerty, president of Franklin Pierce, said the partnership will encourage young people to become informed voters and will add meaningful dialog to the intense media coverage of the 2008 campaign. “We are fortunate that our two institutions have front row seats to the inner workings of presidential politics,” President Hagerty said. “There is tremendous educational and civic value in this dynamic, interactive and analytical undertaking by Franklin Pierce and Wartburg.”

Dr. Jack R. Ohle, president of Wartburg College, believes the project will spark interest among younger voters, who show low numbers at election polls.

“Our institutions have the opportunity to engage voters 18 to 24 in an initiative that is nonpartisan and far reaching,” Ohle explained. “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, less than 20 percent of college-age Americans vote, making that the most underrepresented demographic. Through projects like ‘First in the Nation,’ we can begin the work that is necessary to improve that percentage.”

In fall 2007, President Hagerty will speak at Wartburg’s Opening Convocation, and President Ohle will speak at Franklin Pierce’s Opening Convocation. Fitzwater will be a featured speaker on both campuses as well.

A shared Web site, student media collaborations and common course content are also among the plans for the “Engaging Students: First in the Nation” project.