Spring Break
As number of adjuncts increase nationwide, URI examines issue
Justin Oswald
Issue date: 4/11/07 Section: News
04/11/07 - A report released this month by the National Center for Education Statistics found that in 2005 nearly half of the roughly 1.3 million college professors nationwide were part-time instructors. The report showed an upward trend in universities hiring part-time professors.
At the University of Rhode Island, administrators are relying on these professors, which often come with a lower price tag, to supplement course offerings throughout campus.
The university employs about 500 per course instructors, or adjuncts, to complement its roughly 700 tenured or tenured-track professors, said Frank Annunziato, URI executive director of the American Association of University Professors.
Adjuncts teach one or two courses and often hold full-time jobs outside of the university. URI Assistant Provost Cliff Katz said of the 3,950 courses taught this academic year, 650, or 16 percent, are taught by per course instructors.
Adjuncts make from $3,000 for teaching humanities courses to $6,000 in nursing programs. A first-year professor in the humanities makes $47,000 to $50,000 annually and teaches six courses a year. These six courses can be taught by adjuncts for about $18,000, saving the university at least $25,000.
"Given the [financial] resources that we have, it's a reasonable number," Katz said in reference to the amount of courses taught by adjuncts.
Although Katz said the number of adjuncts versus full-time professors was well balanced, Journalism Department Chairwoman Linda Levin warned that increasing dependence on adjuncts could lead to troubles down the road.
"This is really a major problem at colleges," Levin said.
Levin said next fall the department's six print journalism skills courses will all be taught by adjuncts.
"The up side for our department is it allows us to bring in top reporters and broadcasters," Levin said. But she listed the disadvantages of hiring too many.
Adjuncts are not given office space, which results in no office hours to assist students. They usually have full-time jobs that result in difficulties when scheduling courses and their work away from the university means they sometimes spend little time on campus connecting with students outside of the classroom.
At the University of Rhode Island, administrators are relying on these professors, which often come with a lower price tag, to supplement course offerings throughout campus.
The university employs about 500 per course instructors, or adjuncts, to complement its roughly 700 tenured or tenured-track professors, said Frank Annunziato, URI executive director of the American Association of University Professors.
Adjuncts teach one or two courses and often hold full-time jobs outside of the university. URI Assistant Provost Cliff Katz said of the 3,950 courses taught this academic year, 650, or 16 percent, are taught by per course instructors.
Adjuncts make from $3,000 for teaching humanities courses to $6,000 in nursing programs. A first-year professor in the humanities makes $47,000 to $50,000 annually and teaches six courses a year. These six courses can be taught by adjuncts for about $18,000, saving the university at least $25,000.
"Given the [financial] resources that we have, it's a reasonable number," Katz said in reference to the amount of courses taught by adjuncts.
Although Katz said the number of adjuncts versus full-time professors was well balanced, Journalism Department Chairwoman Linda Levin warned that increasing dependence on adjuncts could lead to troubles down the road.
"This is really a major problem at colleges," Levin said.
Levin said next fall the department's six print journalism skills courses will all be taught by adjuncts.
"The up side for our department is it allows us to bring in top reporters and broadcasters," Levin said. But she listed the disadvantages of hiring too many.
Adjuncts are not given office space, which results in no office hours to assist students. They usually have full-time jobs that result in difficulties when scheduling courses and their work away from the university means they sometimes spend little time on campus connecting with students outside of the classroom.
