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At the University of Louisville, non-tenured or adjunct professors will significantly contribute to the learning and success of many undergraduate students, despite the challenges they face of shared work space, less pay, and fewer benefits. For varying reasons, adjunct professors pursue the opportunity to teach at the university.
Tamara Yohannes, Part Time Faculty Committee Secretary and visiting professor in the English Department said, “The term adjunct means connected at the joint and implies equality.” Yohannes stated in an email, “The university does not generally use the term ‘adjunct’ to designate part time faculty.”
The University of Louisville, depending on department and need, will allow individuals to teach classes part time as long as they fulfill the requirements set forth by the university. Bill Brantley, a voting member of the Part Time Faculty Committee, confirmed that the majority of adjunct professors teach in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Most part time instructors have at least a master’s degree, and many have their doctorate, or may be working on their doctorate as they teach part time. Brantley is currently working on his doctorate, and has already completed his MBA with a concentration in project management.
Brantley said, “It is a common misperception that part time faculty are less qualified than tenured faculty.” Brantley also said, “Several studies have shown that in terms of teaching and service to the University [of Louisville], there is no difference between part time faculty and tenured faculty.”
The idea of adjunct professors being less qualified is not true across the board, but if it were, some students wouldn’t care.
Michelle Hill, a senior, said the only thing that matters to her is that they do a good job teaching.
According to the fall Footnotes Newsletter issued by the American Association of University Professors, full-time “non tenured track” and part-time faculty occupied 65 percent of all teaching positions. This percentage is a national total encompassing all degree granting institutions. Comparably, the percentage was only 43 percent in 1975, according to their statistics.
Tenured professors nationally hold a smaller percentage of total positions than do the part time faculty. Yet the tenured faculty often produce the research and publishings that boost university prestige. The part time faculty, though, have a contributing influence on each graduating class since they hold a considerable number of teaching positions, especially in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Faculty members on the non- tenured track do not have the added pressure to attend extra-curricular social functions or to have work published in their respective fields. Instead the pressure is on teaching ability, said part time Communication faculty member, Bill Brantley.
Teaching ability can be determined by at least two things; students’ grades and instructor reviews, the latter being reviewed by the department chair.
Instructor evaluations are especially important because they can decide whether or not a part time faculty member will have their temporary contract renewed and can also influence a decision to offer the instructor an opportunity at the tenured track. Instructor reviews are conducted near the end of each semester, and are completed by the instructor’s class, albeit it is the student’s option whether or not they want to participate.
Term appointed professors and part time faculty are offered contracts of differing lengths. These contracts guarantee pay. The titles given vary depending on their experience and obtained credentials.
“Term appointed professors teach full time based on a contract that outlines their title and length of employment, usually one year or up to three,” said Yohannes, who is a term appointed visiting professor.
All titles given to part-time faculty members or term appointed faculty members, correspond to the non-tenured tract. The most common title is that of lecturer and a majority of part-time faculty members hold this title. The title of instructor is also given, but there are fewer instructors than lecturers. There are even fewer part time faculty members with the title of assistant, associate or full professor.
Yohannes’ official title, visiting professor, entitles her to her own office. The office has a computer, phone, printer and desk and means she doesn’t have to share the space as most part time faculty do.
While many adjunct part-time professors are forced to share office space and supplies, each is given an email address. But each adjunct professor does not always have access to a computer which can put strain on the ability to communicate effectively with students, through the increasingly used medium of email.
Yohannes said on the issue of sharing resources, “Having my own office allows me to spend more time on campus and be more connected with students. I can be more available to student questions and concerns.”
The main differences between part-time and tenured faculty are that once the tenured track faculty member graduates through the ranks of assistant professor, and associate professor, they become a full professor who gets many benefits unavailable to adjunct part time professors. An assistant professor could be right out of graduate school.
Faculty members who gain tenure will hold the position for life, or as long as they want to unless they cease to meet the three university requirements.
There are other benefits as a tenured professor. Tenured professors have full benefits, and their own offices, so they do not have to compete for desk space, phone usage or computer and printer time as many part time instructors do. Tenured professors, part time faculty and term appointed professors can purchase a reserved parking spot. However, there is a waiting list and they are significantly more expensive. Many part time faculty members must compete with student parking to not only get on campus, but to also get to class on time because they usually buy the blue or green parking permits.
“For a part-time faculty member to be eligible for health benefits they must teach at least four classes a year” said Yohannes.
It seems that all part-time faculty members would want to be tenured professors due to the benefits, but that is not the case.
“We are basically free agents,” said Brantley. “That is part of the appeal to being a part time faculty member.”
Part time faculty members also have more freedom when it comes to their own schedules. Yohannes said, “Part time faculty can choose to accept or not accept the courses offered to them.”
Brantley said, “[Adjunctive Professors] have great flexibility in deciding their schedules so it can be especially ideal for faculty with families. Plus we can negotiate what days and times we want to teach classes.”
Tenured Professors have less flexibility in their schedules according to Yohannes and Brantley.
Many University of Louisville part time faculty members teach at other schools to make ends meet, or have another part time or a full time job in addition to their duties at U of L. Some students say this reality can complement the classroom lessons being taught.
Some part-time faculty members teach night classes that directly correlate with their day job.
“When a part-time faculty member comes to a night class straight from their day job,” said senior Mallory Day. “The class is better because they bring real world situations to the class related to the subject matter.”
The Part Time Faculty Committee is headed by Chairwoman Mary Lea Quick, who is the owner of a market research firm. The part-time faculty committee reports to the faculty senate. David Howarth, liaison to the Provost’s Office and Dean of Undergraduate Affairs, also works closely with the committee.
The committee examines issues brought forward by adjunct professors and tries to improve the general situation for all part time faculty members at the University of Louisville.
