Mike badamo: complex thinking online
His True Calling
Mike Badamo, a photographer, discovered his true calling when he took a philosophy course: “I told myself, ‘Philosophy is it! I have to do this."
One problem:
Mike wanted to live in Quincy, Illinois, while getting his degree—and Quincy doesn’t have a college or university with a philosophy major—so he looked for an online program.
A "Chance" Finding
“By chance” he came across the program at UIS, which he describes as “almost too good to be true.”
“It turned out to be one of the few programs—and maybe the only program,” he says, “that offered an online major in philosophy, a well-developed curriculum, and professors who had been published and reviewed and who dealt in what I was interested in.”
Mike graduated from UIS with his bachelor's degree in philosophy in 2008.
Mike says the courses have been challenging (“Some have seemed more like graduate courses”), but he appreciates the intellectual challenge of philosophy, which he says suits his personality.
The professors say, “‘Here is a topic. Develop some ideas. Talk with other philosophers and try to come up with something new—all the while appreciating established ideas and the history of philosophy in general.’”
That open exploration, according to Mike, offers an incredible opportunity to challenge himself intellectually.
Online: An Advantage
Mike loves the online delivery format as well, especially the opportunity to read other students’ postings and get a discussion going. He especially appreciates how willing professors and students are to explore topics not specifically included in the syllabus.
After watching the movie Déjà Vu, for example, Mike got a discussion going on identity and anonymity, all tied in with time travel. “I remember having emails going back and forth—‘What do you think about this?’ ‘What do you think about that?’ It was a very enjoyable tangent.”
Professors Make the Difference
He credits the UIS philosophy professors with being unfailingly positive:
“I can’t remember a single situtation when a professor had a negative reaction. They have always been upbeat, and they have been very, very helpful and prompt in their responses both in personal emails and in discussions on Blackboard. That combines to create a positive, intellectual challenge with a lot of ability to customize the course to students’ interests.”
Mike now attends Salve Regina University online working toward a master’s in international relations, a field he became interested in after taking several courses from UIS philosophy professor Peter Boltuc.
“There’s a lot of opportunity for fresh thinking and new ideas (in that field),” he says. “The world needs thinkers who are going to engage tough problems instead of just glossing them over.”
UIS will certainly be proud to have Mike carrying the institution’s good name 
into whatever field he chooses.
Do you know someone like Mike?
If you are interested in encouraging inquisitive students who appreciate an intellectual challenge and who want to prepare to confront the world’s toughest problems, please consider creating a scholarship for online philosophy students or giving to the philosophy fund.
And by the way, looking back at his decision to pursue philosophy, Mike now says, “I’m so glad I did!”
More about Mike
- A favorite childhood memory: Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park. He first went there when he was four months old and has returned almost every summer since. He said his first words there: “Up high.”
- A movie he would recommend: Déjà Vu
- A book he would recommend: Michael Walzer’s Just and Unjust Wars
- Someone who inspired him: Luciano Floridi in philosophy; James Nachtway in photography
