<p>"In 1960, 75 percent of college instructors were full-time tenured or tenure-track professors; today only 27 percent are. The rest are graduate students or adjunct and contingent faculty instructors employed on a per-course or yearly contract basis, usually without benefits and earning a third or less of what their tenured colleagues make. The recession means their numbers are growing.</p>
<p>My daughter’s favorite profs have been adjuncts; she also worked this past semester for an adjunct at NYU with amazing credentials (combined MD & PH.D. in economics) – he’s so busy with his day job that he hired some students to help with preparation of his course materials for a graduate level class. Now that my daughter is graduating and looking for work, those adjuncts are also a good resource for networking and reference letters – they have real-world contacts that the profs don’t have.</p>
<p>That’s not the same, of course, as simply hiring on the cheap (lower salary, no benefits) – but its possible that large urban universities are looking for more than savings when they reach out to adjuncts who are leaders in their fields. </p>
<p>I think the NY times article would be more informative if there were some figures as to the overall number of instructors that contributed to the percentages, typical faculty:student ratio at the schools where adjuncts were used, and the percentages at various types and levels of institutions. For example, my daughter’s foreign language sections were always taught by grad students, a mixed blessing – but I think that Columbia also limits enrollment in those sections to 10 or 15 students. Would it have been better to have a full prof in a class of 30 or 40 students?</p>
<p>Barack Obama teaching a class as an adjunct professor in 2010, would be impressive. 10-15 years ago, not so much. I must disagree with the articles example of a “star professor”.</p>
<p>In 1995, the Chicago faculty dean asked Obama to consider applying for a tenure track position; Obama refused because he wanted to leave the door open to a political career. The dean knew Obama’s star quality. 1995 was also the year that Dreams of My Father was published.</p>
<p>In certain fields, a lot of profs are adjuncts because teaching is not their primary career. But it is also true that many universities are making do with adjuncts and visiting lecturers , post-docs who are expected to teach, as a way of coping with budgetary issues. These issues are compounded by the lack of a retirement age and the graying of the tenured faculty.</p>
<p>Not sure if it is a good thing what is happening to adjuncts. I am glad that at least the AFT is fighting for their rights. Making less than minimum wage and having to teach 6 courses per semester in order to make a living is pretty horrible after having invested so much on a graduate education. It makes me worry a lot about my son, but there isn’t much I can do about it.</p>
<p>There is nothing about being a fully tenured professor that makes them a good teacher. I had some really awful fully tenured professors.
Adjucts who work part time for the college often teach as a second job. They are often employed and successful in their field. They bring real work experience to their job - it isn’t all bad having a adjuct for a teacher.</p>
<p>About a hundred years ago, I was an adjunct, and I was pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. (Even my students thought so; I was always rated highly.) That said, using adjuncts doesn’t lend itself to stability, for the college or university, for the professors themselves, or for the students. Having someone new teach a course every few years doesn’t provide the best experience, IMHO.</p>
<p>^ I like the idea of going to grad school for the learning experience, then settling down to a non-academic career. I envy those who were involved in research, even if only for a few years - it sounds like fun, and might be fun if you weren’t worried about the payoff.</p>
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<p>Fewer incentives for the scholarly to pursue professorships. The people described above would be great assets in the corporate world. I only wonder if the corporate world sees them that way?</p>
<p>BTW for another view of the MLA interview scene, look at the rateyourstudents blog.</p>
<p>I work as a tenured professor and an adjunct in the same discipline in two different institutions. It is not the same experience at all.</p>
<p>I do think full-time tenured teaching is a much better model than the part-time entrepreneur for the students and the institution.</p>
<p>Obviously, for the professors, a career cobbled together of adjunct gigs is soul numbing. That does not pertain to those who have full-time gigs and are teaching as a supplementary activity.</p>
<p>Treetopleaf and mythmom, once again, thanks for your insights! </p>
<p>(This is why I frequent cc, I often say to myself! People here are very very good at what they do and provide very good information and insight. :))</p>
<p>Adjuncts are not a problem when they are doing it on the side in addition to their real jobs. Schools in DC for example have lots of visiting professors whose primary interest in outside the school. But when schools are using adjuncts to save money no one wins. I had a friend who failed to get tenure and spent a couple of years driving all over the New York area teaching courses and making next to nothing. (I made almost as much teaching an after school art class to elementary kids for the PTA.) Eventually his wife (who had gotten tenure) and he moved to another state so they could both have tenure track positions again. It was years before they both got tenure in the same area.</p>
<p>My PhD university tenured spouse has been teaching for over 35 years (he’s in his mid 60’s and has many years left). Like a good wine, he just gets better with age. He can pack a full house of 180 students on a Friday before a holiday weekend. Colleagues and deans sit in on his lectures. To his university admin though, it’s no big deal.</p>
<p>Son is at a large urban school and his department makes it pretty clear that you’d better be bringing in research dollars if you’re a full-time professor. I think that all of the professors in his major are full or associate professors. He’s had a few adjuncts for humanities and math courses but that’s about it.</p>
<p>Here is another perspective: my kid just finished her first semester at the community college. About 10 of her class sessions were canceled this semester (4 classes). On the one hand, I think this is outrageous. On the other hand, I know that several of her teachers* were adjuncts. I know that these people are not especially well paid and have other job commitments. How upset should we get in that case?</p>
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<li>what is the correct term here - teacher, professor, adjunct?</li>
</ul>
<p>That’s pretty odd. I would think that the CC would get replacements if they lost some professors. My daughter’s CC (dual-enrollment) will have an incredible number of students this semester. I had a look at the courses still open this semester and there wasn’t much at the college level (still lots of remedial stuff open). You basically had to sign up for courses in December to get any kind of decent choice. I would guess that students would be very upset if courses were canceled as they probably wouldn’t be able to take a replacement course. I have to pay the bill today so they will certainly get the money for the courses early.</p>
I should think that is obvious. What happens when it comes time for those students to write a thesis or need recommendation letters – and those instructors are now on the other side of the country? </p>
<p>The use of adjuncts or visiting professors serves nobody except universities for cutting costs.</p>
<p>Some universities are replacing retiring faculty with visiting/adjunct professors as a means of slowly bleeding unpopular departments dry. German at USC is a case in point.</p>
<p>I use “universities” when speaking about such things, but the practice is every bit as prevalent at many LACs. It is not at all unusual for even elite LACs to employ visiting professors, many of whom just earned their PhDs.</p>
not all adjucts are temporary.
i know a business accounting professional who teaches and has taught for years. She enjoys teaching and it keeps her “fresh”. Also the current professional experience she brings to her students can be an advantage.
my daughter is in a health care major. her major is very small at her school and her advisor is a professional in her field. most of her teachers are adjucts who are professionals in their field.
Grant it, this won’t work in every major but in some it does work well.</p>