Presidential Candidate Dr. Bernard Bull Presents Virtually
by Elisha Meyer
The second of two final candidates presented virtually Monday afternoon in the race for president at Concordia University-Nebraska
Dr. Bernard Bull currently serves as the president of Goddard College in Vermont. Bull also held several positions at Concordia University Wisconsin, including Assistant Professor of Education and Assistant Vice President of Academics.
Bull continued to emphasize the importance of how a Christian is taught in the “The Wild West Era” of education. He reminded those watching that students need to be weary of ministry in a changing world, a world that includes its share of sinful nature, and to look towards the truth.
“We have a responsibility to recognize that all modern academic disciplines and fields of study were created and shaped by human beings,” he said. “In a world where people are trying to fill this craving for meaning in any and every way, we (Christians) actually have something solid.”
Bull was quick to address the importance of a quality Lutheran education, which he began receiving as a middle school student in Illinois. He was grounded in unchanging teachings of the faith, which he said is one of the many reasons Lutheran education is so important in a student’s life.
“In a world of islands where it seems like nothing is certain and everything is always changing,” he said, “we are grounded in these unchanging truths of God’s word.”
While the presentation from Rev. Dr. Lee Hagan last Monday advocated for a few select outreach ideas, Bull said that his growing knowledge of campus and community life will help determine the work he looks to do on campus.
“I’m not the kind of person who just steps on and launches all sorts of new things,” he said. “We get to know the community and the context and find out what would help amplify our mission, and that’s where we invest our time and energy.”
Bull’s presentation was made available on Blackboard Collaborate for all students and faculty to stream live. More than 130 viewers tuned in to the presentation on their own devices, and a few faculty members watched the stream on the projector in the THOM auditorium.
A survey similar to the one sent out after Hagan’s speech will be sent to the student body to gain feedback on how students reacted to Bull’s presentation. The survey is expected to be sent out Tuesday, and it is expected to conclude at 11:59 p.m on Thursday.