Prof. dr hab. Zdzisław Wąsik

Prof. dr. hab Zdzisław Wąsik has been appointed the first rector of The Philological School of Higher Education in Wroclaw.

Education:
He completed his graduate studies in 1971 in the German Philology Department in Wroclaw and in 1977 he received his Ph.D. in Humanities in the field of comparative linguistics of Indoeuropean languages in the Philology Department of Wrocław University. His postdoctoral work was in the field of general linguistics in the Philology Department of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań in 1986. In 1997, he received the title of professor of the Humanities from the President of Poland.

Course of academic career
(1972-76) Junior lecturer at the General Linguistics Department in the University of Wrocław.
(1976-77) Junior lecturer at the Interdisciplinary Modern Culture Studies
(1977-80) Lecturer at the Culture Studies Institute
(1980-81) Lecturer at the General Linguistics Department
(1981-88) Reader at the General Linguistics Department
(1988-97) Associate professor at the University of Wrocław (1984-99) Held the position of Head of The General Linguistics Department in the University of Wrocław and editor of “Studia Linguistica” which was part of the Acta Universitatis Wratislaviensis series.
From 1986 held the position of professor, and from 1999 held a permanent appointment as associate professor in the English Philology Institute at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
From 2000, he holds the position of full professor of English and general linguistics in UAM in Poznań.
From 2002 he is Head of the Linguistic Semiotics Unit in the UAM English Philology Institute.
He cooperated and is associated with the Opolski University (1987-2002) didactically and organizationally as Head of the English Linguistics Department in the WSP English Philology Institute in Opole (1991-1992), Teacher Training College in Wrocław 1993-97), The Public Higher Vocational School of in Wałbrzych (2000-), Head of the Linguistics Department (2000-) and the Mikołaj Kopernik University in Toruń (2000-), Head of The English Language Unit (2000-), Karkonosze College in Jelenia Góra as a professor in the Western Language Institute (2002-).

International cooperation:
He delivered 35 papers in international conferences and 22 guest lectures in USA, Brazil, Norway, Holand, Bulgaria, German, Finland and Sweden, among others. He earned scholarships to study abroad – Fulbright Fellowship for Senior Scholars, Buffalo, Bloomington, USA (1982-1984). Oxford Hospitality Schede, Trinity College, Oxford, UK (1987), International Research Exchange (IREX), Providence, Houston, Los Angeles, USA (1991). He took part in six seminars on Albanian Language, Literature and Culture by invitation of the Kosovski University in Prishtine (1978-1988).

Academic research:
Academic achievements include work in general and comparative linguistics, linguistic methodology and semiotics and includes over 80 publications, including books. Typologia strukturalna wypowiedzeń pytajnych (1979); Semiotyczny paradygmat językoznawstwa (1987); Systemowe i ekologiczne właściwości języka w interdyscyplinarnych podejściach badawczych (1997); An Outline for Lectures on the Epistemology of Semiotics (1998). These works constitutes the author’s contributions to the following disciplines:

1. indoeuropean typology of syntax; functional analysis of question markers in Indoeuropean languages; intonations of questions in Polish in a comparative context;
2. linguistic epistemology; development of own concept of science as a collection of interrelated ontological and epistemological perspectives;
3. problematics from the sign and meanings in nature and culture; conducting the typology of semiotic topics on the basis of the multipolarity of linguistic signs; histography and linguistic methodology;
4. the critical analysis of the knowledge of general linguistics and its development as reflected in the history of the Polish linguistic studies; the theoretical foundations of “external” linguistics, the formulation of the ecological matrix for the purpose of external description of languages, which constitutes the basis for many theses on the problematics of situational description of the chosen minor languages.

Memberships:
He is a member and has organizational function in the Polish Linguistic Society (1973-); In the Language Commission of the Wrocław Science Society (secratary, (1984-93), chairman (1993-99); Societas Linguistica Eurpaea (1984-); Polish Fulbright Amumni Association – expert in linguistics in the Polish-American Fulbright Committee (1993-); International Association for Semiotic Studies (1995-); Polish-Albanian Society (1997-).

Junior staff training:
He educated 7 doctoral students, 6 from the English Philology Department and around 150 MA students of English Philology, and 2 from Culture Studies and 1 from Spanish Philology. He was a reviewer of 12 doctoral degrees, i.e. 9 people applying for an academic title, doctoral – 5, postdoctoral – 4, and 3 applying for the professorship. He prepared 2 opinions for the Central Committee to Academic Titles and Degrees (one concerning a motion to accept a postdoctoral degree and a second concerning a motion to grant an academic title).

Distnctions:
Nagroda Ministra Szkolnictwa Wyższego, Nauki i Techniki (III stopnia) for outstanding achievements in his doctoral dissertation (1979);
Nagroda Ministra Edukacji Narodowej (III stopnia) for his outstanding accomplishments in his postdoctoral thesis (1988).In recognition of Prof. Wąsik’s academic achievements, he was granted the a nomination and entry into the Złotej Księgi Nauki Polskiej 2000 - Naukowcy Przełomu Wieków, nr 02113/01 [Gliwice 2001: Helion. His biographical entry can also be found in: Who'sWho in the World (A Who'sWho in America Publication). New Providence NJ 1995-2002: Marquis Who'sWho. Reed Elsevier; Biograficzny Słownik Encyklopedyczny - Kto jest Kim w Polsce 2002. Poznań 2002: Polska Oficyna Wydawnicza "Pol-Euro-Busines"; Współcześni Uczeni Polscy. W-wa 2002: Ośrodek Przetwarzania Informacji.