40 % of WV public college faculty now part-timers w/o benefits

[Rose Siding]

About 40 percent of the 6,408 faculty members at West Virginia’s public colleges and universities work part-time without benefits and are paid far less than full-time faculty, according to a state report and a teachers union.
...
More than half of the staff members at Potomac State College of West Virginia University and Shepherd University are part time. About 49 percent of Concord University’s faculty are part time.

About 68 percent of the faculty at community and technical colleges are adjuncts, the report said. Adjuncts work without benefits and are paid an average of $1,200 per course.
...
WVFT President Judy Hale said the use of adjuncts is related to cuts in state funding for higher education.

“It once again speaks to what our priorities are,” Morgenstern said. “We think higher education ought to be a priority.”

http://wvgazette.com/section/News/2005051832

[davidinalameda]

1. now I think these numbers are misleading

when I was attending WV Northern Community College, some of our adjunct staff were professionals from the community like practicing attorneys for my business law class and practicing accountants for my accounting classes

it's cheaper for a school to hire these people but it's also better because you get the practical knowledge

and even out here in San Francisco, the vast majority of my paralegal classes were taught by practicing attorneys

[raccoon]

2. This doesn't surprise me

I work at a community college (public). A Human Resources employee told me that 50% of the staff are part-time.

Like adjunct faculty, part-time staff work without benefits.

[MountainLaurel]

3. Shit, that's a great percentage

At the private university my SO attends, 60 percent of classes are taught by adjuncts, about the same figure as the community college where I work.

Professors who have practical experience do often have an advantage over academics who have been in a university setting for decades, but other problems arise. Often, the adjuncts have no on-campus space, aren't on the department Web page, and have no campus phone or e-mail information, so students have problems contacting them and there are no office hours. Adjuncts often have no access to or information about college resources (e.g., they may have no idea what books the library does or does not hold on their subject, and no clue how the interlibrary loan process works). There is no opportunity for professional development. As is the case in the DC area, they might be teaching 10 classes at seven different colleges within a 60-mile radius, or working full time at a full-time position, so they don't have the time or energy to dedicate to any one course to ensure that students are comprehending the information. And, let's face it, if you're getting paid $1200 to teach a semester-long class, how much effort are you going to put into it?

[SilverPhoenix]

4. The Reality of Being an Adjunct

I am an adjuct at a West Virginia college, and I was a little upset by what MountainLaurel posted. People who are adjuncts should not be considered less dedicated than people who are full-time. I teach at least the same number, sometimes more, classes as the full-time people. Besides which, I do more in that department than the full-time people. The people in my department teach class and some (not all) serve on some sort of committee. They have time to work on professional development. I teach the same number of classes, serve on committees, run the lab, am in charge of the department's computers, write/edit the newsletter, and am an office assistant. I do all this because I enjoy it. I still put all my effort into my classes and making sure that ALL of my students succeed. Despite the low pay and no benefits, I still care about my students and my job. And, most of the adjuncts I know feel the same way. We do what we do because we love it. I don't know why anyone who doesn't care would even bother being a teacher, whether adjunct or full-time. We don't get paid much, we don't get benefits, we don't have time for professional development, we are overloaded with work, yet we still put 110% into all that we do. Why else would we do that unless we cared for our students and loved teaching?

[MountainLaurel]

5. I apologize if I offended

For the most part, I was speaking of the lack of support the college itself gives to adjuncts, in terms of professional development, staff space, etc. It's disgraceful how colleges take advantage of adjuncts. I don't doubt your, or any other adjunct's dedication to students and to teaching.

However, I stand by the concept that the situation is often different when the adjunct has a full time job outside of teaching, often due to no fault of the instructor. You're going to make a priority of the position that pays your mortgage and your child support, and if that means having to miss class 5 times out of 28, so be it. I admit I had a bad experience with a course in undergrad taught by a working journalist -- several times, he had to cancel class at the last minute because he was called to cover an event in another part of the state. As a result, we missed a great deal of content, including no time spent on a graphic design software app that we needed to use in our next required course. He taught the class as a favor to the dean. I've known many people locally here in DC who had similar problems with government officials, lobbyists, etc., teaching graduate courses.

In the college where I work now, this category of adjunct is unable to have any face time with students outside of class, due to lack of time and the fact that they have no office. For a variety of reasons (English as a Second Language, learning disabilities, lack of academic background), our students often need extra assistance to succeed whether it be deciphering what the professor wants in a particular assignment, information on a skill required to complete the assignment, or simply clarification on a course lecture.

I know this because these students typically come to the library reference desk with these sorts of questions because we (and the math and writing labs upstairs) are the only option for getting face-to-face help that they have (these students often have issues comprehending written instructions) and because we develop a relationship with them, seeing them every day.

Sitting at the ref desk I have explained what a summary is and how to write one; taught basic reading comprehension ideas such as determining what the author's point and picking the thesis sentence in a paragraph; tried to read the instructor's mind as to what she meant in an assignment description; explained what a bibliography is, why a research paper requires one, and how to find the necessary information in a database article or book; answered questions about grammar and punctuation; and, on a more humorous note, explained to an international student that "having good buns" in the context of the psychology of attraction had nada to do with bread-baking ability.

So, I understand where you're coming from, but don't assume that the situation is as rosy in all circumstances.