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[gaucho25]

I'm a PhD candidate expecting to go on the job market in the next year or two. I recently got an adjunct position at the last minute in a department I would love to teach in someday.  Should I regularly attend faculty meetings or is this not a good use of time compared to working on my research and teaching. The department usually does not have adjuncts and therefore adjuncts are not expected to come to meetings but are welcome to do so.

[zuzu_]

As a long-time adjunct, I vote no, unless something on the agenda is of direct concern to you. Only go if it somehow benefits you to attend.

You can still be collegial and even develop friendships with other faculty, but attending meetings is overkill and no one will think more highly of you just for attending meetings. People WILL think more highly of you if kick ass at teaching and research.

[neutralname]

It would be distinctly odd for you to attend a faculty meeting.  I don't see how it would help you, and some people might become suspicious.  But if depends on your institution.  Before doing it, talk to your dept chair or some full time faculty member with good judgment. 

[palla]

Our adjuncts don't typically attend the meetings.  But then again, neither do about half the FT faculty. 

I would find a friend in the department you can trust to provide you with advice on how to proceed.  Each school is different, and it would benefit you to have someone there to let you know how things are done at the school and department.

[conjugate]

This is very institution-dependent.  Some schools/departments don't allow anyone to attend department meetings except full-time TT faculty.  NeutralName's suggestion is good; talk to someone you know there.

[shrek]

You need to find out what the expectations are. In my department at an R1 the full-time lecturers, post docs, clinical, and faculty all attend. The long term part-timers do too, the once-in-a-while adjuncts do not.

[gaucho25]

Thanks! I feel a bit awkward as the department chair had not mentioned it.  A full time associate professor mentioned the meeting to me last week, confirmed the time with the secretary, and said he would see me there (he knows I am an adjunct and was trying to be friendly).  I emailed the department chair and he said that I was not expected to attend, but am welcome to do so. So I can come if I want, but don't know if that seems weird.  I also don't want to seem weird by possibly blowing it off.

[gaucho25]

I should mention that the department normally does not have part-timers, but there was an emergency and I was literally brought in the week before classes.

[larryc]

Given the way one full timer extended his hand to invite you, maybe you should go. You might double-check with the chair first. It could start you off on the right foot with your new temporary colleagues.

[itried]

In my department, it would appear odd and over-eager for an adjunct to attend a faculty meeting unless there is some item of interest to him/her on the agenda. We don't even send the meeting agendas to our adjuncts; if something of importance to an adjunct is on the agenda, then we extend an individual invitation to attend. We're generally very careful to not ask our adjuncts to do anything beyond teaching, grading, and otherwise supporting their specific students, because we feel so guilty for abusing them as we do.

[spinnaker]

I should mention that the department normally does not have part-timers, but there was an emergency and I was literally brought in the week before classes.

This is standard practice. If you don't have an e-mail about the meeting, it's not your concern. When they need you for a meeting, they'll let you know.

[gaucho25]

No, pay for meetings is not on the contract.  I also did not receive an email about the meeting, but I am also not in the email system as I was hired so late.  Perhaps miss the first one? And then check in later to see if I should go to the next one.  The meeting is tomorrow and the department chair's email was again not required or expected, but welcome. Definitely don't want to weird anyone out. If anything I just want to be friendly, but perhaps it is better just to be cordial in the office and make conversation that way.

[spinnaker]

(I had asked about pay, then modified the post as I figured I know the answer).

You could go to one and introduce yourself around but I wouldn't make a habit of it. Yes, it would be a waste of time.

[crowie]

Given that you've been invited by one senior faculty member, and explicitly told by your chair that you are welcome (but not required) I would go but keep my mouth firmly shut.  Just sit in the room and listen.  Once you've gone to one (tomorrow) you can decide whether it's worth it to go again.

[reener06]

I think it depends on the institution, and I like crowie's advice. Years ago I was a VAP and was expected to attend all faculty meetings. In fact, to my surprise, I found out I got a vote and my colleagues began pressuring me to vote their way (turns out the person I was replacing often voted against them, and they saw a way to get what they wanted). I know this is really rare, but is this the case? In the end, I was glad I went, because I learned how they worked, I got to know the other faculty better--sometimes, it was the only time I saw some of them--and it made me better prepared to become a TT faculty person.

Where I adjunct now, it is not expected and would be highly frowned upon. I'd be turned away, and rightly so. I'm hired just to teach the class, and that is it.