A recent strike at Penn State brought attention to a group of professors and the issues they face being contingent faculty.
Doctor Karen Madison is one of the U of A’s adjunct professors who wants their story heard.
“The word makes a difference,” Madison said.
Over 70 percent of faculty around the nation are adjunct.
From the mid-70s until now there has been a 286 percent increase in the hiring of contingent faculty.
“Used to it was just the opposite. Seventy-five percent of college faculty members were tenure tracked, and now that’s changed, just completely flipped,” Madison said.
Members of adjunct faculty lack certain rights such as the ability to protest unfair working conditions and academic freedom.
“People who are very vulnerable. They don’t have the same kind of protections that a tenure streamed faculty has. Part of tenure is the idea that a teacher can teach and have freedom of expression in the classroom,” said Madison about adjunct teachers.
“The adjunct teachers work just as hard, if not in some cases, harder. I think its shameful that one of the most noble professions in the world, teachers…they ought to have some job security,” said Matt Miller, a student of Dr. Madison.
Madison said it’s sort of a double edged sword.
The national average wage per course is $25,ooo and many only provide one year contracts.
“It’s a big hit on education. Its a big hit on students who work hard to learn,” Madison said.
Dr. Madison said she would like to deliver a message for future adjunct faculty.
She said, “Run like hell. You will be tremendously rewarded for teaching because that’s the most rewarding thing in the world. It’s what keeps people here, right? But you’ll never make that money back.”