Laurier journalism professor receives provincial Award of Excellence for pandemic podcast

Oct. 7, 2020
For Immediate Release

Brantford – Staying connected while keeping apart was the goal of a new podcast hosted by Bruce Gillespie, an associate professor and coordinator of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Digital Media and Journalism program.

On Oct. 7, the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities awarded Gillespie with a Minister’s Award of Excellence for his work keeping Laurier’s Brantford campus connected through a regular podcast, One Market.

Gillespie was one of 39 selected out of more than 260 submissions in the areas of digital transformation and community impact. The Minister’s Awards of Excellence highlights the work done by professors and instructors on campus, online and in the community during these extraordinary times.

The podcast is the brainchild of Gillespie and fellow associate professor Tarah Brookfield. It was launched only two weeks after the Government of Ontario declared a state of emergency and Laurier announced that classes would be delivered remotely.

“At the time, I was thinking about all the things I would miss about being on campus if the pandemic lasted a long time,” said Gillespie. “We really do have a sense of community here, and we wanted to try to replicate that idea of feeling connected with all members of our community.”

The podcast, One Market, is named after the building at the heart of Laurier’s Brantford campus. In each episode, Gillespie interviews several guests from the Laurier community about life during the pandemic, projects and behind-the-scene work at the university.

“It can't perfectly replicate the experiences you'd have with people on campus,” said Gillespie. “But I think we are successful at helping those relationships and sense of community endure as we check in on people we might not have heard from and introduce new people to our campus.”