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ABSTRACT
The assumption of adjunct faculty as both behind and beneath fulltime and/or tenured faculty is becoming a point of increasing conflict and controversy in the world of academia. Regardless of the setting (community college, four year college, or university), adjuncts occupy next to the lowest position in the faculty hierarchy. Ironically, while unflatteringly positioned, the economic, operational, and boundary-spanning contributions of this unheralded cadre of professors are substantial. Additional mining of adjunct faculty potential in several venues can unearth possibilities such as: (1) having university administration leverage adjunct influence in the community; and/or (2) having employers enhance organizational performance by utilizing employees who serve as adjuncts to broker applied theory; and/or (3) have adjunct faculty members capitalize on the uniqueness of their “praxis” orientation thereby benefiting students, employers, the university, and themselves.
The teaching profession is one to be held in high regard. The ability to understand complex academic principles and meaningfully convey them to students is a gift. Reality is that, through the lens of the student, there is no distinction between tenured and adjunct faculty. To this end, adjunct professors are encouraged to master the craft of teaching, treat it as a gift, and hold it gently.