Faculty who teach the Core come from all disciplines at the University. Although their backgrounds may vary from nursing to English and from engineering to music, each is committed to enhancing the unique experience of the Core. You'll enjoy getting to know these dedicated teachers, a few of whom are profiled below.

Dr. Joseph Bognar

When not engaging students in classroom discussion, Dr. Joseph Bognar can be found entertaining them with his keyboard skills.
Dr. Bognar, an assistant professor of music, is a frequent performer, both as a soloist and an accompanist. He performed the 1998 world premiere of Stephen Wilcox's piano composition The Book of Kells (rev. 1988) at the Midwest Composers Symposium and was featured in the Evangelical Arts Series in Frederick, Maryland, in 2001. Earlier in his career, he toured the West Coach with internationally acclaimed accompanist John Wustman, performing four-handed piano music of Franz Schubert.
You can hear him as organist on the VUCA Media compact disk recording of Behold! What Wonder and in regular performances on campus.
He is a graduate of Valpo and earned his master's degree and his doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. Bognar is a regular member of the faculty at the Lutheran Summer Music program. In addition to teaching in Valpo's Core program, he teaches piano, harpsichord and music theory.

Dr. Frederick Niedner

A look at the columns he writes weekly for a local newspaper give a glimpse of the wide interests of Dr. Frederick Niedner and insight into his perceptive analysis of things taking place in the world around him.
He's written about the shopping frenzy that accompanies Christmas, posting the Ten Commandments in schools, the aging of family members, war, peace and many other topics that link common events with spiritual growth. He's reviewed the biography of baseball great Sandy Koufax and he's a regular contributor to publications such as Christian Century.
Such diverse interests coupled with a passion for teaching make Dr. Niedner a popular teacher in Valpo's Core.
Born in Wyoming and raised in Nebraska, Dr. Niedner received undergraduate degrees from St. Paul's College in Missouri and Concordia Senior College in Indiana before receiving advanced degrees from Concordia Seminary and Christ Seminary in St. Louis. He is a professor of theology at Valpo.
He is author of Preaching the Easter Gospels and co-author of Keeping the Faith: A Guide to the Christian Message.

Dr. Betsy Burow-Flak

It can be said that the interests of Dr. Betsy Burow-Flak span several centuries. She often teaches a course entitled "From Gutenberg to Gates," an examination of how media affect what we say. One of Valpo's most dedicated users of 21st century technology, she also is interested in the writings of 17th century women.
An assistant professor of English, Dr. Burow-Flak has special interest in literature, but she's equally popular as a teacher in the Valpo Core where she engages students in thought-provoking discussions that aid in developing analytical skills that serve a lifetime.
Dr. Burow-Flak regularly establishes online chat rooms for her classes and has helped students create Web sites for their best writing. She also has served as an instructor at technology workshops for her colleagues on the Valpo faculty.
She is an honors graduate of Augsburg College in Minnesota and earned her doctor of philosophy degree from the University of Texas. She has presented papers at numerous professional workshops and conferences and is contributor to a textbook on writing instruction for first-year college students.