Abstract
Contemporary literature approaches the role of adjunct faculty in higher education institutions from a deficit perspective. Adjunct faculty have reached a tipping point as they are now indispensable in doctoral program development and delivery. Crossing the tipping point requires the adjunct narrative to transition to an asset perspective in order to balance the scales. The consequences and implications of tipping the scales in favor of adjuncts as opposed to tenured faculty are explored in relation to university quality of education, governance, and leveraging the silent voice of adjuncts for the institutional strategy. Recommendations are presented to inform Higher Education Institution leaders and governance boards.
TopBackground
Adjunct faculty, also referred to as adjunct professors, adjunct instructors, and adjuncts, are temporary, nontenure-eligible faculty who are employed on a part-time basis at an HEI in either workload or length of time in a given position (Gappa & Leslie, 1993; Halcrow & Olson, 2008) and are categorized by AAUP as contingent faculty, which includes full- and part-time non-tenure eligible faculty appointments (AAUP, 2021-2022; Kezar & Sam, 2013).
Tenured faculty are most prevalent at public doctoral institutions (99%), while a rarity at private for-profit institutions (1%). Between 2009–10 and 2020–21, the percentage of full-time faculty with tenure decreased by about one percentage point (from 51% to 49%) at public institutions and by 41 percentage points at private for-profit institutions (from 51% to 10%) (NCES, IPED, 2022).
Section one of this chapter first addresses “who are adjuncts?” Furthermore, it examines the evolving strength of the adjunct's voice. Section two explores the academic, fiscal, and social implications of HEIs new faculty balance. Recommendations are made to board governance and senior leadership in order to intentionally ensure that the adjunct voice from the field is utilized and that the institution is situated to proactively address the curricula paradigm shift due to the ever-growing role and impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA): Provides actionable, objective research and insights to inform policymakers and others who influence America’s financial security.
Contingent Faculty: Positions include both part- and full-time non-tenure-track appointments.
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data (IPED) System: It is a system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). IPEDS gathers information from every college, university, and technical and vocational institution participating in federal student financial aid programs.
Adjunct: A subset of all part-time faculty.
Online Course: All activity is completed online synchronously, asynchronously, or through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences.