Part-time instructors in higher education deserve a whole lot more compensation. And that, in my opinion, is literally on the money.
At Montclair State University, there are about 1,375 adjunct professors. These educators far outnumber the approximately 600 full-time university professors.
Adjuncts can teach up to six credits per semester and must have at least a master’s degree.
Adjunct contracts are per-semester with no health benefits, tenure or guarantee of future employment. Adjuncts who have taught up to 12 semesters are paid $2,100 per course credit. The rate increases to $2,175 per credit for 13 or more semesters. According to Mary Wallace, president of the Montclair State University Federation of Adjunct Faculty, AFT Local 6025, their pensions are based on the college with the most course credits taught, not the total cumulated from all institutions taught.
Wallace said some part-time professors juggle jobs at different universities for a living.
“Those particular adjuncts can barely eek out an existence by the time they have to pay for transportation, pay to park, pay for this, that, the other,” Wallace said. “We have adjuncts that teach at two or three state universities. Adding up all their hours, they may actually be teaching a full-time load, but still, they do not qualify for [full-time] health benefits.”
Wallace’s statement reinforces my sympathy for adjuncts. It is a shame that these master’s degree-holding educators earn peanuts. Adjuncts put in a great deal of blood, sweat and tears to attain their degrees.
Common sense tells me that a position that requires a master’s degree should come with decent dollars. A university adjunct with at least 13 semesters of experience only gets $13,000 and change for teaching two 3-credit courses. And never in 13 million years would I think that is acceptable.
Small wonder that Wallace used the term “cheap labor” regarding the stipend these educators receive.
And what about the substantial effort that goes into a course? The duties include preparing lessons, in-classroom teaching, homework and grading. And let’s not forget office hours, one-on-one student meetings, remedial lessons and endless e-mails. All told, teaching one class can easily take up 15 hours per week.
And that is not hyperbole. Wallace readily vouched for that fact.
To cite one example, Kevin Conod is an adjunct professor of astronomy at Morris County College, also known from the North Jersey Astronomical Group, which frequents MSU’s campus. In the past, we occasionally talked about his job— Conod repeatedly noted that his one class, teaching and all its obligations, amounts to a weekly double-digit hour time commitment.
To add insult to injury, Wallace said that county college adjuncts make less than their state-university counterparts.
I feel the case for better adjunct pay is very strong because these part-time professors play a pivotal role in higher education.
Adjuncts teach nearly half of all the university’s courses. Their work prepares today’s undergraduates for tomorrow’s working world. It makes me wonder how many professionals owe their success to skills learned from adjunct professors.
I underline my displeasure with a joke: What is the real definition of adjunct?
Well, when you “ad” up the duties, the salary is “junc,” and that sums it up to a “t.” That witticism brings up a memorable, relevant incident that happened about 30 years ago.
Back then, I was a graduate French major at Montclair State and seriously contemplating becoming an adjunct professor. For advice, I decided to consult Dr. Robert Glick, a French translation professor in his Patridge Hall office. I asked if I should think twice before going for a university adjunct position. Glick shot back that I should “think 50 times” before doing so.
“Tom, you’ll have to put up with a lot a crap for slave wages,” he said, looking at me straight in the eye.
Needless to say, I immediately jettisoned any notion of being a part-time professor.
Don’t get me wrong. My hat is off to anyone who is an adjunct. Besides, getting a job in academia is more difficult than one would imagine. There are also reasons why a working person would take on a part-time position versus a full-time one. The main conclusion is that the effort put in should be proportional to the pay and we are seeing that this is simply not the case.
Over the years, I have had many part-time instructors who were enthusiastic about their job despite its drawbacks. I enjoyed experiencing their love for teaching, whether it be about public relations, Russian language or business writing.
In short, I think adjuncts undoubtedly deserve better money and benefits. You can bet your bottom dollar on that.
