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[bbolin]

The manifesto seems to argue that there is no place or need for actual contingent faculty in higher education. My field is a practice-oriented one, where professionals are often tapped to teach a class in their area of expertise.

If universities were required to give such experts a 1 year full time contract, it wouldn't work for either party, and our field would lose out on highly qualified teachers of specialized subject matter.

I wouldn't give up so easily.

Someone else suggested that there should not even be a limit to our contract - why only five years?

[spinnaker]

When pay is higher, people have more incentive to commit for longer than one term, if that's the concern.

[need_help_pleasee]

I was just reading through these posts and find it interesting.  My thoughts -

1.  Sounds like a lot of whinning.

2.  Employment at will is how all employment should be.  Let's not forget, employers employ, and if you don't want to work for them for whatever reason, there are many others that will fill your spot.

3.  If you want tenure, there are plenty of tenure-track positions avalable at many many schools, including community colleges, across the nation.

4.  A national strike day ?  You are joking right ?  If you're not, you're a joke.

5.  Stop the hating of tenured / tenure-track faculty, they earned their rights (most likely by earning a PhD).

6.  Stop stirring up trouble for us adjuncts that are fine in our role, as both we and our school agree it to be.

[bbolin]

Unfortunately, it simply isn't true that there are many tenure-track positions available. One of the authors has a PhD and has not yet secured work. A previous Chronicle article stated that only 5% of people with PhDs in the humanities secure tenure-track positions.

You're okay with this? Seriously? I'm not. I'm also not okay that I'm prohibited from developing a lasting and meaningful relationship with my home institution. Something needs to be done, and if you're content with the way things are, I'm not stirring up trouble for you. I'm speaking out what needs to be said at the moment.

Are you not aware of the West Coast Port Shutdown scheduled for 12/12? Is this a joke, too?

Are you secure in your insecure job? How can this be? Please explain. You offer nothing that helps me see your point of view.

[bbolin]

Also, I fail to see how you discerned our "hatred" for tenure-track faculty. We merely want more responsibilities, and to align ourselves more with them than as a "supplement" or "accident" to our institutions. We want more tenure-track faculty, and we believe that adjuncts should also be considered for tenure.

We have also worked hard, been responsible, and earned more than what we are rewarded. One of the authors has a PhD, by the way. The other is getting out of academia.

[glowdart]

Unfortunately, it simply isn't true that there are many tenure-track positions available. One of the authors has a PhD and has not yet secured work. A previous Chronicle article stated that only 5% of people with PhDs in the humanities secure tenure-track positions.

Only 5%?  Citation please.


A PhD does not guarantee you a job, much less a tenure-track job.

[bbolin]

Unfortunately, it simply isn't true that there are many tenure-track positions available. One of the authors has a PhD and has not yet secured work. A previous Chronicle article stated that only 5% of people with PhDs in the humanities secure tenure-track positions.

Only 5%?  Citation please.


A PhD does not guarantee you a job, much less a tenure-track job.

Still searching. Here's a relevant article in the meantime: http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-in-the/44846/

[glowdart]

Unfortunately, it simply isn't true that there are many tenure-track positions available. One of the authors has a PhD and has not yet secured work. A previous Chronicle article stated that only 5% of people with PhDs in the humanities secure tenure-track positions.

Only 5%?  Citation please.


A PhD does not guarantee you a job, much less a tenure-track job.

Still searching. Here's a relevant article in the meantime: http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-in-the/44846/

Yeah, thanks, I read that and many others like it years ago, and more pointedly, that article undermines your entire position by arguing that you shouldn't expect to get a job just because you have a PhD. 

5%? 

[need_help_pleasee]

Thx for your reply.

Couple of things -

I guess I still don't understand why the adjunct position is considered to be other than just that, a "help out" or "fill in."  I always thought of adjuncting as part -time work by working class folks (or stay at home moms) who enjoy teaching and are certainly not doing it "for the money" or to pay the bills.  No ?

When you say - "and earned more than what we are rewarded."  This says it all to me.  If you truly believe you are not earning what you should be, why would you do it, makes no sense.  Again, don't do it, your spot will be quickly filled by those that feel the are adequately compensated for what they do - probably because "true adjuncts" do it out of a love of teaching and not "for the $$$"

I don't understand your insecurity angle because I don't see adjuncting as a "real job" per se.

I'm open to listening to your side of this entire thought process - thx.

[need_help_pleasee]

I suppose the crux of your arguements / concerns is a function of the field that you're talking about.  PhDs in certain fields, e.g., accounting, are certainly "guaranteed" a TT position upon graduation.  That must be the problem, the field you're adjuncting in.

[bbolin]

I appreciate your reply, too. For three years, I've been content to be an adjunct, but I honestly didn't know that it was a dead-end field.

My major issue with the adjunct position is that we now constitute - on average - 66% of the faculty of any higher ed institution. At my home institution, we are 77% adjuncts.

This trend states that we are becoming the norm. Our numbers keep growing. For comparison, in 1970, 3/4 of faculty had the ability to strive for tenure. Now, 2/3 do not. Those of us who would be more than willing to accept full-time, securable work simply can't find it.

We recognize that this is a problem, and we're starting a discussion about what can be done to fix it. I want a real career.

You know what? I love teaching, too. That's why I want to do it full-time. I didn't understand how serious our situation was until this year. It is excruciatingly hard to find full-time work. Here's another good article that helps me state my position: http://chronicle.com/article/Forum-The-Need-for-Reform-in/64887/

[neutralname]

Thx for your reply.

Couple of things -

I guess I still don't understand why the adjunct position is considered to be other than just that, a "help out" or "fill in."  I always thought of adjuncting as part -time work by working class folks (or stay at home moms) who enjoy teaching and are certainly not doing it "for the money" or to pay the bills.  No ?
...

Many schools -- including mine -- have in the past relied very heavily on adjuncts, to the extent that the schools would fold without the use of adjuncts.  The adjuncts sometimes teach more courses per year (including summer teaching) than the full time faculty and they do research, although they don't do service.  For schools like that, the financial viability of the institution relies on low income workers to teach most of the gen ed courses and even some dept required and upper level courses. 

Now that we are in financial difficulties, our enrollment has dropped and our reliance on adjuncts is rapidly declining.  I'm glad about the change, so long as we manage to keep on going.  But of course the adjuncts we formerly employed are disappointed to have a source of income eliminated. 

[bbolin]

We realize that there are no guarantees in life.

And I certainly do not believe that my position is undermined. I believe that this knowledge makes such positions an absolute necessity.

[bbolin]

  For schools like that, the financial viability of the institution relies on low income workers to teach most of the gen ed courses and even some dept required and upper level courses. 

Now that we are in financial difficulties, our enrollment has dropped and our reliance on adjuncts is rapidly declining.  I'm glad about the change, so long as we manage to keep on going.  But of course the adjuncts we formerly employed are disappointed to have a source of income eliminated. 
[/quote]

This is happening at my school. I'm disturbed that our positions are being phased out in favor of graduate student help, and I'm disturbed that the graduate students, upon graduation, will have even fewer opportunities than what we do currently.

[bbolin]

5%? 

Yeah, you're probably right. Memory skews. Still searching.