Some NIU students may think their professors lead uninteresting lives outside of school, but political science professor M. Ladd Thomas does not fit that stereotype.

In addition to traveling the world, particularly Southeast Asia, Thomas also helped establish the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at NIU.

Thomas began his adventures in 1953 when he received a joint research fellowship from the University of Michigan and the University of the Philippines. The purpose of his first trip was to set up a system of public administration for the University of the Philippines, Thomas said.

While he was there, Thomas worked with a Filipino graduate student and performed a survey of local government. He also spent time in cities and chartered villages.

From there, Thomas traveled Asia, Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

In 1954, Thomas went to Singapore, Indonesia and Java. Thomas, who was studying Russian in Java and speaks three languages, accidentally ended up on a military train because he was unable to communicate.

“I was the only civilian passenger,” Thomas said. “And when the train stopped, soldiers got out and were walking around with mine detectors because we had stopped in a mine field.”

In 1960, Thomas traveled to India, Darjeeling, Pakistan and Afghanistan. He participated in the Burmese national elections and met the prime minister of Cambodia. He concluded this trip by stopping in Uzbekistan, Scandinavia, France and England.

“Around this time,” Thomas said, “NIU contacted me and asked me to head the Southeast Asia center here.”

Thomas’ main duties were to train Peace Corps volunteers, develop a library and hire faculty. NIU’s Southeast Asian Department teaches every language of the region except Vietnamese and has about 20 full-time faculty members.

Thomas later stepped down as head of the Southeast Asia center to pursue his love of teaching.

He taught introduction to comparative politics, radical Islam terror in Southeast Asia and comparative intelligence systems around the world. Thomas also taught political terrorism. Before coming to NIU, Thomas taught at Harvard and Indiana universities.

Although he is always on the go, Thomas plans to settle down when he retires after spring semester. He hasn’t decided on a place to retire yet, but says he prefers the Southwest and Northwest.