Running head: REPORT ON THE CONTINUED USE OF PART-TIME 1

Academic Staffing Research:

A Report on the Continued Use of Part-Time Faculty at

Mohave Community College

Pamela Galovich

Northern Arizona University

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As my sole working experience (and major’s emphasis) is community college specific, I

am addressing the topic as director of institutional research at a two-year institution. Our

department is charged with developing an “official report” on the increasing use of part-time

faculty, also called adjuncts, by community colleges. The purpose is to assess the benefits and

costs of current hiring practices.

In a 2009 report issued by the Community College Survey of Student Engagement

(CCSSE), “approximately 2/3 of community college faculty (67%) are hired as part-time,

teaching half to two-thirds of all course sections” (p. 18). In today’s academia, part-time

instructors play a critical role in the academic success of millions of college students across the

U.S.; they challenge our students academically, create enriching learning experiences, and make

a genuine difference in people’s lives.

Multiple studies confirm the benefits of faculty-student interaction beyond the

classroom; student performance increases when strong connections are built between students

and their peers, faculty, and the broader campus community (CCSSE, 2009, p. 3) Unfortunately,

adjunct faculty are “minimally involved with students beyond the hours they are teaching”

(CCSSE, 2009, p. 18) due to nature of their position. In the following report we examine the

reasons behind the trend, the impact on students if any, and recommendations for its continued

use.

Background

Since the 1980’s student enrollment has soared in post-secondary institutions. “But

instead of increasing proportionately the number of full- time faculty positions needed for

instruction, institutions have increasingly relied on the use of adjunct faculty” (AAUP, 2003, p.
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172). According to NCES statistics (2018), from fall 1999 to fall 2016, faculty hiring in degree-

granting postsecondary institutions increased by 51 percent. “The number of full-time faculty

increased by 38 percent over this period, while the number of part-time faculty increased by 73

percent” (para. 1).

Research attributes the rising use to the many pressures affecting today’s colleges and

universities. Marketplace competition from profit and corporate colleges, shrinking state

budgets, declining support for tenure, and the corporatization of higher education all play key

roles (AERA, 2013; Maxey & Kezar, 2015). To gain a competitive advantage, colleges and

universities are relying more heavily on part-time faculty to save money in instructional

spending.

Benefits

Using adjunct rather than full-time faculty is a strategy to control instruction costs since

they are paid less, and receive few or no benefits. “Part-time instructors earn 64% less per hour

than their tenured or tenure-track counterparts “(Hurlburt, S. and McGarrah, M. 2016, p.4). For

example at Mohave Community College (MCC), the starting annual salary for full-time faculty

is $48,008. Adjuncts, who are compensated per load hour ($725/hr), earn an average of $2,175

for teaching a three credit hour course. Extrapolated to a full course load of six classes,

$13050.00 per year without benefits (Mohave Community College Faculty Schedule 2018-2019)

In addition to controlling instruction costs, adjuncts are often hired “as needed” to meet

the institution’s instruction demands; there is no guarantee of continued employment. The

practice provides colleges flexibility to add or cancel classes without significant staffing

investment or commitment. For instance, if less than nine students are enrolled in a class, it is
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cancelled, and MCC will attempt to transfer students to available course openings. The College

is under no obligation to reassign part-time instructional staff to teach other courses (Hurlburt, &

McGarrah, 2016; Curtis & Thornton, 2013; Nutting, 2003).

Costs to Students

The above advantages are not without cost. Recent studies have identified informal

interactions with faculty outside the classroom, which “positively influence persistence, college

graduation, and graduate school enrollments” of students, as one of the strongest positive factors

contributing to student learning” (Benjamin, 2002, para. 15). Thus, many believe the over-

reliance on using adjunct instructors diminishes faculty involvement in undergraduate learning

(AERA, 2013; CCCSE, 2013; Graham, 2013; Bettinger & Long, 2010; Benjamin, 2002;

Benjamin, 2003; Nutting, 2003). According to a 2013 AERA report on student learning, other

adverse effects include “diminished student graduation and retention rates, decreased transfer

between two-year and four-year institutions, and for first-year students, lower-second semester

retention rates, lower GPA’s , and fewer attempted credit hours” (p. 7).

The practice of paying low wages pressures many adjuncts to financially support

themselves by accepting multiple course assignments on different campuses (Banjoko, 2017;

Hurlburt & McGarrah, 2016; Nutting, 2003). “Research suggests that poor working conditions

(e. g. low compensation, no job security) and lack of institutional support (e.g. professional

development and adequate office space) experienced by part-time faculty have inverse, negative

effect on student outcomes” (Maxey & Kezar, 2013, p.565). These outcomes are often

disproportionately experienced by academically at-risk students who are enrolled in lower

division and remedial courses (Banjoko, 2017; CCSSE, 2009).

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Costs to Adjunct Faculty

As documented earlier, part-time faculty often struggle financially because of low pay, no

benefits, and unpredictable employment (Bickerstaff & Chavarin, 2018; Kezar & Maxey, 2014;

AERA, 2013; AFT, 2010; Nutting, 2003). Adjuncts also face other challenges.

“Last-minute course assignments and an inability to plan beyond the current semester

have implications for instructors in terms of organization, confidence and preparation at the

beginning of the term, and the ability to make term-by-term course refinements” (Bickerstaff &

Chavarín, 2018, p.4.) Adjuncts also play limited roles in other areas of traditional faculty

responsibility including “shared governance, curriculum development and student advising”

(Maxey & Kezar, 2015, p. 578).

Many adjuncts report feeling disconnected from their departments and colleges, with

limited awareness of campus initiatives (Bickerstaff & Chavarin, 2018; Maxey & Kezar, 2015;

Nutting, 2003). Lacking knowledge of academic support and resources for their students is a

common frustration (Banjoko, 2017; Graham, 2013; Nutting, 2003). Interactions with colleagues

are infrequent, especially if the instructor teaches online, and there are scarce opportunities for

professional development and incentives (Bickerstaff & Chavarin, 2018; Maxey & Kezar, 2015;

Graham, 2013; AFT, 2010).

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Obstacles

However according to Maxey and Kezar’s 2015 study, efforts to improve academic

hiring practices face many challenges including “diverse interests, a lack of cooperation, or a

multiplicity of views” (p. 579). Stakeholders include unions (“maintain traditional roles”),

governing broads and administrators (“modify tenure practices”), accreditation and national

organizations leader (“flexible workforce model”), and state/system leaders and national

associations of community colleges (“redefine or unbundle faculty roles”) (p. 580-581). The

diverse priorities and interests make it extremely difficult for all participants to work

collaboratively toward a common outcome.

There are other conditions that impede change. “The expense of converting part-time

positions to full-time, and extending health care and retirement benefits to all” (Maxey & Kezar,

2015, p. 581) , is a huge financial challenge. And finally, mistrust between major groups

(administration and faculty), failure to acknowledge poor working conditions, and a worsening

power imbalance (Maxey & Kezar, 2015) are all contributors to gridlock.

Recommendations

Because the practice of hiring part-time faculty is so entrenched in the higher education

sector, as well as complex, it requires a multifaceted approach toward a common goal. Campus

communities throughout the country are implementing new policies and practices to improve

adjunct working conditions. Consistent hiring practices, multi-year appointments, equitable

salary and pay schedules, health and retirement benefits, office space, professional development

opportunities, and access to resources, support and compensation are recommended practices

(Banjoko, 2017; Eagan, Jaeger, & Grantham, 2015; AERA, 2013; Roney & Ulerick, 2013).
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Policy changes include inclusion of adjuncts in campus activities, mentorship, and shared

governance models (Bickerstaff & Chavarin, 2018; Banjoko, 2017; Eagan, Jaeger, & Grantham,

2015; Roney & Ulerick, 2013; Nutting, 2003).

Kezar, Maxey, and Eaton (2013) suggest efforts to improve require all stakeholders focus

persistently on what matters most – student success. Colleges then can determine what changes

need to be made “to most powerfully promote that improvement” (Banjoko, 2017, p. 7). The

American Association of University Professors (2003) endorses using a “pathway” for part-time

faculty that includes the hiring process, orientation, professional development, evaluation,

incentives, and integration into the college community and the student success agenda, created

with input from adjuncts p. 178 - 179).

Roney and Ulerick (2013) maintain we know how and why students succeed, and the

importance of their engaging with faculty. “Colleges need to create spaces and situations where

such opportunities can occur” (para. 22). An institutional roadmap toward improving conditions

for majority of instructors will help higher education improve student outcomes, and more

importantly, help students to reach their educational goals.

None of the above ideas are unique or innovative, but they are relevant. If institutional

goals are to create the necessary conditions and/or environment for student success, why are we

doing students a disservice by providing poor working conditions and minimal support for the

individuals that teach them? The report ends with a statement from Maxey and Kezar’s 2015

report “Revealing Opportunities and Obstacles for Changing Practices”.

Students are short-changed when they have teachers who cannot commit the appropriate

time to all aspects of teaching including availability to students beyond specified official
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office hours...Courses are being taught by scholars who are paid less than a living wage

and have no medical insurance. These arrangements benefit neither the students, nor the

faculty, nor the institution (p. 577).

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References
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AERA (American Educational Research Association). (2013). Non-tenure-track faculty in U.S.

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Track-Faculty

(AFT) American Federation of Teachers/Higher Education. (2010). American academic: Survey

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https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/aa_partimefaculty0310.pdf.

Banjoko, A. (2017). Part-time faculty full-time commitment: Enhancing inclusion and support.

Digital Universities: International Best Practices and Applications, 2017(1-2), 5-20.

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