Contingent Faculty at Community Colleges: The Too‐Often Overlooked and Under‐Engaged Faculty Majority

Abstract

A wide majority—nearly 70%—of faculty at community colleges teach part‐time. If community colleges are serious about focusing more on supporting the success of their students, they must focus more on engaging and supporting their part‐time faculty.

Instructional Practices of Part-Time Faculty at Two-Year Institutions: Observations and Implications

“…Another concern uttered by contingent faculty is the feeling of being marginalized in both their departments and institutions (Bakley & Brodersen, 2018;Jolley, Cross, & Bryant, 2014;Kezar & Sam, 2010;Thirolf & Woods, 2018). These studies demonstrate the work of part-time faculty is at best unappreciated, uncounted, unnoticed, and at worst undervalued.…”

“…As well as the lack of instructional and technical support, part-time faculty members lack social and collegial support (Bakley & Brodersen, 2018;Jolley, Cross, & Bryant, 2014;Eagan at el., 2015;Kezar & Sam, 2010;Pearlman, 2013;Thirolf & Woods, 2018). They, in fact, endure hostile environments while working in their respective institutions.…”

“…The hostility toward part-time faculty is ascribed to several causes. Abundant numbers of studies have found that the academic social stratification is the most dominant concerned expressed by part-time faculty members (Bakley & Brodersen, 2018;Jolley, Cross, & Bryant, 2014;Eagan at el., 2015;Kezar & Sam, 2010;Pearlman, 2013;Thirolf & Woods, 2018). To elaborate, part-time faculty members are, to varying degrees, considered to be among the lowest in the hierarchy in their respective institution compared to their counterparts, full-time faculty members and administrators.…”

“…These studies demonstrate the work of part-time faculty is at best unappreciated, uncounted, unnoticed, and at worst undervalued. It has been documented that part-time faculty are mostly excluded from departmental and institutional meetings and have no input into curriculum decision making (Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2014;Christensen, 2008;Jolley, Cross, & Bryant, 2014;Eagan at el., 2015;Kezar & Maxey, 2012;Kezar & Sam, 2010;Pearlman, 2013;Thirolf & Woods, 2018). As a result, it is widely acknowledged that dissatisfaction is permanent among part-time faculty members, especially those who prefer full-time position.…”

Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being Among Management Students and Educators

“…Academics in the United States also face similar conditions, where adjunct faculty and non-tenure track positions have increased and the number of full-time tenure-track staff in business schools has dropped during the past decade (Shinn, 2016). The consequences of these changes for staff in the university sector have been well-documented; these include lack of time for professional development (Klopper & Power, 2014), low engagement (Thirolf & Woods, 2017), and poor psychological health (McGann et al, 2016). In the current COVID-19 pandemic, some universities are laying off staff in response to reduced income from international student enrolments (Davies, 2020).…”