Meet the President
Dr. Bernard Bull began his tenure as Concordia University, Nebraska’s 11th president in August 2021. Bull is actively involved in the higher education landscape regarding educational innovation, futures in education, nurturing learner agency and ownership and the intersection of education and digital culture.
"People of Christian conviction, character, competence and compassion are an immense blessing to the world. Concordia exists to nurture such people, devoted servant leaders in their families, churches, communities, workplaces and the world." - Dr. Bernard Bull
Dr. Bernard Bull earned a bachelor’s in education, theology and history from CUW in 1994, before earning a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Concordia University Chicago in 1997, a Master of Liberal Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2005 and a Doctor of Education in instructional technology from Northern Illinois University in 2007.
Prior to becoming Concordia Nebraska’s president, Bull served as the president of Goddard College from 2018 to 2021. Bull served Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) from 2006 to 2018 in a variety of roles including vice provost for curriculum and academic innovation, chief innovation officer, assistant vice president of academics and associate professor of education. Before that, he served in Lutheran middle and high schools in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Bull is a regularly featured presenter at national education conferences and has authored and edited several books and publications, many of which are used by Concordia instructors.
Bernard and Joyanna, his wife, have two children, Bethany and Nathaniel. In her past career, Dr. Joyanna Bull was an adjunct instructor at CUW and a K-12 teacher in Lutheran and public schools.
- The Pedagogy of Faith: Essays in Christian Education
- Missional Moonshots: Insights & Inspiration for Educational Innovation
- What Really Matters: Critical Issues in Contemporary Education
- Adventures in Self-Directed Learning
- Digitized: Spiritual Implications of Technology
- Imagine the Possibilities: Conversations on the Future of Christian Education
- Prep Talks: Tales of Challenges & Opportunities in Christian Education
- Breathe: A Vision and Framework for Human-Centered Learning Environments
Requests for President Bernard Bull to speak to a community group, business or conference may be made by contacting Lisa Owens at Lisa.Owens@cune.edu.
Past Presidents
J. George Weller, 1894-1914
F.W.C. Jesse, 1914-1923
C.F. Brommer, 1924-1941
A.O. Fuerbringer, 1941-1953
Paul A. Zimmerman, 1954-1961
Mark A. Schmidt, Interim, 1962-1963
W. Theophil Janzow, 1963-1977
Michael J. Stelmachowicz, 1978-1984
Ralph L. Reinke, 1986-1990
Orville Walz, 1990-2004
Brian Friedrich, 2004-2019
Russ Sommerfeld, Interim, 2019-2021
Bernard Bull, 2021-Present
