BACKGROUND:

While adjunct faculty (part-time faculty) can bring special expertise to the classroom, research has indicated that adjunct faculty frequently are not adequately supported They often have: I) insufficient office space which makes meeting with students difficult; 2) inadequate opportunity to participate in departmental activities such as textbook selections or curricula decisions; 3) insufficient fund available for professional development such as participation at conferences or enrollment in advanced course work; 4) inadequate opportunity for advancement, salary increases, or benefits, regardless of the length of service or excellence of teaching; and 5) no chance for tenure or job security.

1. All Two-Year College Mathematics Departments Should:

• Allow individual adjunct faculty to have a work load of no more than 60% of a normal full-time faculty work load during an academic term at their institution.
• Provide in-service training for adjuncts in order to properly institute curricular change and improve teaching methodology.
• Integrate adjunct faculty into the departments and encourage them to participate in departmental functions.
• Foster open communication between adjunct faculty and the department chair or designee with regard to work load, courses taught, and schedule.
• Provide adequate office space for adjunct faculty members.

2. All Two-Year College Administrators Should:

• Ensure that adjunct faculty are eligible for job security, salary increases or cost of living adjustments, and employee benefits.
• Provide funds for professional development and in-service training for adjunct faculty.
• Supervise both student and peer evaluations of adjunct faculty on a regular basis.

3. All Adjunct Faculty Should:

• Seek to improve their teaching through continued professional development.
• Become actively involved in their respective departments by attendance at department meetings and participation on department committees dealing with topics such as textbook selection and curricular reform.
• Conduct regularly scheduled office hours.