Faculty highlight: Bruce Kirk

Along with the rest of Liberty University’s faculty and staff, School of Communications professor Bruce Kirk has been commended for his continual zeal and compassion for his work and his students.

Kirk has gained much knowledge during his time in the world of broadcasting. According to his biography on Liberty’s website, he has more than 33 years of experience and has accomplished numerous professional achievements in broadcasting and media productions.

Because of his nation-wide travel, Kirk conducted numerous prestigious interviews, including Jack Kevorkian, two sitting U.S. presidents and two non-sitting U.S. presidents. Additionally, he claimed five Television Emmys.

“I can teach students to push a button, work a camera, edit and stand up and anchor, but at the end of the day, it really is about who you are, who you trust and where your belief system is,” Kirk said. “My classes are laced with a fair amount of that, as much as the technical.”

According to his students, Kirk’s teaching style is one that is respected and admired.

“He’s a fair teacher and dedicates so much time to his students, to the point where we are not just past students that he has taught, but students he really wants to see become great,” Liberty senior Shereena Harvey said. “In his classes, we learn that anything is possible.”

Kirk not only includes textbook curriculum into his lectures, but according to Liberty senior Zachary Moss, he also incorporates personal examples for students to learn from.

“During the copy editing class I took with professor Kirk, he gave practical advice in situations he himself had been in during his professional career,” Moss said. “He backs up everything he says with his own experiences. He moves through material with ease and encourages question and discussion.”

Since becoming a full-time professor at Liberty in 2009, Kirk said that his relationships with his students are more motivating than anything he could ever do and makes teaching worthwhile.

“You don’t do it for pay, but for love and for God,” Kirk said.

According to his students, Kirk is always willing to lend a hand with class projects.

“I really learned the best ways to make myself stand out and to always do the best work I can,” Liberty junior Olivia Witherite said. “His standards are there to make me better, as a student now, and as a professional later.”

Kirk keeps in contact with both current students and those who have graduated and acquired professional jobs in their field of study.

“He inspired me to pursue my dreams no matter what and to work until I get to where I want to be,” Liberty graduate Jordan Harvey said.

Harvey currently serves as the Events and Marketing coordinator at TransWorld Media.
According to Kirk, it is the little victories that matter — such as when a student sends an email, out of the blue, thanking him and telling him that they landed a job.

“I always instill three things into my students every semester: perseverance, trust in God and the drive to never give up, even if someone tells you that you cannot do something,” Kirk said.

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