Invisible Adjunct

I came across an old blog that is now no more called "Invisible Adjunct".  What a great name!  But alas, it is actually sad, but true...and a sign of the times.

For those not in the higher education world,  colleges and universities hire many part time professors, (called "adjuncts" or "lecturers").  For the college, this is much cheaper than hiring full time professors with decent salaries and benefits.  The trend the past twenty or so years is hiring more and more adjuncts and less and less full time professors.  About 75% of the faculty at community colleges are now adjunct faculty! 

An adjunct faculty has to have the same qualifications as any full time college teacher, at least at the community colleges.  This usually means a Master's degree at minimum.  In universities, they do hire people with Master's, PhD's of course, are preferred.

Many people work as adjuncts while they are working on their PhD or another degree.  Some are adjuncts because they have another full time job that is their main bread and butter, or a spouse that supports them.  Many, hang in there year after year with the hope of getting on full time some day, and or are searching for a full time professorship.

Some do it for the joy of teaching and love for the students... because it is certainly not for the money! 

The adjunct faculty is a second class citizen in the academic world.  No tenure, no benefits, no  office (usually), and no say in what goes.  The pay is about 1/5th of a full time college teacher, and only by each class (hours) one teaches per semester.   

Yes, the invisible adjunct teacher.  As an adjunct faculty, the pay is minimal and there are virtually no benefits.  No offices, no health insurance, no supplies, etc.  The college can let the adjunct go at will, and basically rehires by contract every semester.  A full time teacher can take an adjuncts classes last minute before the semester begins if they want to, even if they filled because of the popularity of the adjunct teacher's reputation as a good teacher. 

The adjunct basically comes to the college, teaches their classes, and leaves.  Oh, maybe some time at the school for class prep, like photocopying, or meeting with students.

The adjunct is usually not invited to the weekly or monthly faculty meetings, or the department meetings.

Yes, working as an adjunct can be a lonely life. Many give up after a few years, disillusioned.  Hurt.  Angry.

Some of the full timers have never been an adjunct, and have no idea what an adjunct goes through. There is an unspoken hierarchy in academia, an adjunct is "low on the totem pole".   Some pity the adjunct, "those poor adjuncts".  It is a part time teaching job not for those that need lots of ego massaging.  As one article put it, adjuncts are the "slaves of academia".

So I can see why "Invisible Adjunct" gave up on teaching and closed up her blog.  Those graduate degrees do cost lots of money...and then, the only job to be found is work as an adjunct faculty...part time work, for what pretty much equates to gas money.

When I was a college student some 25 or so years ago, 95% (if not more) of all my professors were full time teachers.  They had offices, benefits, decent pay.  I remember ten years after I finished my degree going back to visit my community college, (where I went my first year before transferring to the university), and finding my former philosophy and music teachers...still there!   It was so great to see them again!  And, they remembered me.  One writing me a letter of recommendation so I could attend graduate school. 

But nowadays, students wanting letters of recommendation for graduate school may come back of few years later, and their former professor, who was an adjunct is now gone.  And that is that.

More for less.  Less pay.  No benefits.   Tuition keeps going up, and the vast majority (75%) of teachers are part time with minimal pay and no benefits.     Who is making the money here?  Where are the ethics?

What is going to happen to higher education?   What is going to happen to us?