Laurence Chaij is an adjunct professor at Chattanooga State. Chaij teaches Principles of Management in the business and informations department.ADJUNCTS AT WORKNumber of adjunct professors at area colleges, fall 2012:Chattanooga State Community CollegeFull time: 224Part time: 421Cleveland State Community CollegeFull time: 72Part time: 124Dalton State CollegeFull time: 160Part time: 55University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaFull time: 483Part time: 300Source: Area collegesWHAT IS AN ADJUNCT?Adjunct faculty typically are part-time employees who do not receive benefits, such as health care. They don’t serve as faculty advisers or have any obligations to the college outside teaching and keeping office hours for students. They are paid per credit hour or by course, and factors such as longevity or education may affect their pay.Non-tenure track faculty can range from one-year contract lecturers to multiyear employees but generally are full-time faculty. They receive benefits and may serve on planning committees or have other obligations outside the classroom, but do not typically conduct research.
The stereotype that all college faculty are full-time researchers may no longer be true.
Research on part-time and nontenure track faculty indicates nearly 70 percent of instructional faculty at colleges and universities now are either part-time adjunct faculty or non-tenure track faculty, according to data from the Coalition on the Academic Workforce. The coalition is a group of higher education and faculty associations that studies issues related to faculty working conditions and student success.
What impact that has on students isn’t clear, according to the coalition study.
Locally, the number of adjunct faculty has grown and in some cases surpassed full-time faculty at some institutions for a variety of reasons.