An international philosophy conference in Poland gave a Wheeling Jesuit University professor the chance to present a paper to a prestigious group of scholars, as well as learn more about the country’s culture and traditions.

Thomas Michaud, Ph.D., professor of philosophy at Wheeling Jesuit University, was one of only two Americans to present at the Third International Philosophical Congress, held in May at the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. Each year the Congress discusses pressing cultural issues in Western Civilization and this year tackled the topic of education. Scholars from all over Europe, Africa, South America and Canada attended the Congress.

The Catholic University of Lublin is Poland's largest Catholic university and is the institution where Pope John Paul II taught for more than 20 years. Michaud describes the University as a major academic center of Poland, the place that leads Poland's Catholic intellectual culture.

Michaud’s paper, “Post-Modern Challenges To Catholic Higher Education” identified and critiqued a number of challenges to Catholic higher education, which our modern culture poses.

He says, “The paper asked whether and how Catholic higher education will be able to survive in the new millennium given such challenges as politicized academics, the principle of absolute tolerance and the loss of understanding social justice, principally as a virtue and not as an ideological power.”

Michaud also presented a lecture to students and faculty at Catholic University on the virtue of business ethics.

The trip was also enlightening for Michaud, who gained a greater insight into the Polish people and their culture.

“I learned how incredibly tough and resilient the Poles are. I learned just how important culture and faith are to these people and how they have fought to keep these traditions alive in the face of outside opposition,” Michaud says.

In addition, he says philosophy is more that an intellectual exercise; it’s a way of life.

“Philosophy has an impact in politics, economics and culture. I learned just how important the Catholic intellectual tradition in philosophy is in Poland’s society and culture. Philosophy shaped the Solidarity Movement, gave focus and purpose to resist outside forces and helped to change the government system,” Michaud explains.

Along with Peter Redpath, Ph.D., professor of philosophy at St. John's University in New York, Michaud traveled to numerous locations in Poland. In the city of Touron, they were the featured guests on a television talk show on Radio/TV Maria, an international media group run by Rev. Tadeusz Rydzyk. The two professors also attended an event at the Shrine of the Madonna of Czestochowa, where Michaud led a portion of a prayer service. Radio/TV Maria broadcast this prayer service internationally on television. Michaud and Redpath were also invited to a private performance by Professor Lidia Kozubeck, a resident pianist at the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw.

He says he is thankful to Professor Piotr Jaroszynski, chair of the philosophy of culture department at the Catholic University of Lublin for the invitation to participate in the Congress. The two met at a conference at Princeton University in 2002.

"The entire trip was a great learning experience, and I'm thankful that I had this opportunity," he indicates. "The experiences of those 10 days I spent in Poland will have a lasting effect on my life and my teaching," Michaud adds.

Wheeling Jesuit University integrates the Jesuit traditions of intellectual excellence with the best of advanced technology to help students develop lives of service, success and significance. The University's mission is to educate students for life, for leadership, and for service with and among others. U.S.News & World Report ranks Wheeling Jesuit University 16th in the "Best Master’s Universities in the South," making it the highest ranked institution in West Virginia for the seventh consecutive year. Wheeling Jesuit--the only Catholic institution of higher education in West Virginia--offers more than 30 undergraduate programs of study and six graduate degrees to about 1,500 students each year. It has a student-to-faculty ratio of 13 to 1, and 17 intercollegiate NCAA Division II athletic teams. The 65-acre campus located in Wheeling, W.Va., includes 15 modern buildings, multi-million dollar Acker Science Center, and residence halls, and a modern recreation and athletic facility that includes a soccer/track and field complex. The campus is home to the Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center, the Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies, a Challenger Learning Center and the Clifford M. Lewis Appalachian Institute.

To arrange a visit of the Wheeling Jesuit University campus, or to apply, call 1-800-624-6992 or e-mail admiss@wju.edu or visit Wheeling Jesuit online at www.wju.edu