May 23, 2008

A Philosopher Stirs Up the World of Adjuncts

Gadfly takes on colleges, lawmakers, and unions

By Audrey Williams June

Keith Hoeller is an adjunct professor. He teaches philosophy for a living at Green River Community College, just outside Seattle. He has also spent much of the last two decades ruminating about the bigger picture for those at his level of the professorial pecking order.

Why can colleges and universities pay part-time faculty members so much less money than full-time professors for the same course load? On what basis are adjuncts largely denied benefits? How can academic freedom exist