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The use and abuse of adjunct faculty in theology.

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The difficulties experienced by many adjunct faculty can only be overcome when we convince others that the use and abuse of part-time instructors affects everyone on campus. Unless we persuade others of the severity of these problems, we cannot expect administrators to make programmatic, financial and structural changes. We must confront administration by naming our concerns, identifying specific needs and offering creative solutions. We also need to remind ourselves of the many girls we bring to our students and the campus. [1]

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Clearly there is a problem. It has been well established that adjunct faculty often face issues of low pay, lack of office space, few or no benefits, exclusion from full-time faculty meetings, high class loads, few materials, lack of continued education, lack of respect, lack of job stability.... the list goes on and on. According to the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), in 1970, 22 percent of all university faculty were adjuncts. Now more than 46 percent of college teachers describe themselves as part-timers or adjunct faculty. [2] In the past three years I taught as an adjunct, twelve different classes--many of them outside my own specialty--at five different institutions. I shared office space, received low pay and traveled over one hour each way to teach a night class at a local community college where the class loads far exceed the ideal number. Currently I am working full-time as the Associate Director of the Niebuhr Center at Elmhurst College. However, I continue to teach part-time as an adjunct faculty member in the theology and religion department.

When faced with the overwhelming troubles of adjunct teaching, it is important to focus on an often-overlooked question. Whose problem is it anyway? The obvious answer is that the use and abuse of adjunct faculty in theology affects everyone: administration, full-time faculty, staff, the adjuncts and students. Many are aware of some of the problems that challenge adjunct faculty, however, it appears as if these issues are not a primary concern for any of these groups. I propose change will only occur when the use and abuse of adjunct faculty becomes a central issue for everyone.

Are administrators concerned about the use and abuse of adjunct faculty? Sometimes. In some places, administrators do tackle adjunct issues. Some administrators, such as department chairpersons, also have teaching responsibilities and work alongside adjunct instructors. This type of administrator may be more aware of issues that are important to part-time instructors. Other administrators may have little contact with adjunct faculty. And while I understand that I am generalizing, it does seem that for some administrators, adjuncts are the answer to far different problems. For example, Paul...

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