Adjunct professors across the country are disproportionately compensated for their work compared to visiting and full-time faculty. The average adjunct nationwide will make somewhere between $20,000 and $25,000 a year, according to a report done by NPR in 2013. Usually, this requires working at multiple institutions due to the limitations on the number of courses an individual can teach at any given university or college. Adjunct professors at Connecticut College are limited to teaching 3 courses in an academic year and are paid a flat rate of $5,800 per course. Due to the limitations on the number of hours that adjuncts work, they often do not receive certain benefits from the College, including healthcare and insurance. Adjuncts on campus are hired for a number of reasons but generally are used to replace professors absent on sabbatical or to fill a specific department need. According to Dean of Faculty Jeffrey Cole, the College hires adjuncts to fill around 15 percent of the faculty on campus.
While adjuncts can only teach 3 courses before the College is required by federal law to give them more benefits, full time and visiting professors are generally expected to teach somewhere between 4 and 6 courses in an academic year.
One concern about the system as it currently stands is the decision-making and hiring process in regards to new professors. Derek Turner, a philosophy professor who previously served as the department chair, shared similar concerns in his Dean of Faculty candidate statement. Turner wrote about his experience working with the previous Dean of Faculty when looking to hire new professors to fill 4-5 courses. “I asked for permission to hire a one-year visitor to teach all of those courses, and I had a willing and capable candidate ready to take the job.” Turner wrote. However, Turner “was told that [he] would have to hire multiple adjuncts so that the college would not have to pay fringe benefits.” Turner went on to mention his understanding of the budgetary limitations but believes that the College can do more.
It is cheaper for the college to hire multiple adjuncts, making them a valuable tool for the College to fill out departments. One current adjunct professor on campus, who requested anonymity for this article, worked as an adjunct for more than 4 years here at the College. They noted that the experience, overall, has been positive but still needs to be improved. On the topic of pay, the professor noted that the College pays much better than what their colleagues at other institutions receive; “I have a colleague working in Boston who teaches 6 courses, which no one does, just to pay rent. I receive a lot of support here compared to other places.” Despite the College’s standing amongst other institutions, this professor does believe that the system can be made better, saying “Administration has become bloated and campuses have become nicely manicured corporate parks. [Campuses are] supposed to be places of learning but have become increasingly managerial.” Many of these professors need adjunct jobs to pay the bills but, without job security, they face professional challenges.
Chances are that most students will have one or more classes with adjunct professors during their time at Connecticut College. According to the anonymous adjunct professor, “students often feel that adjuncts aren’t giving them what a full-time professor would be able to,” which both Cole and Turner assured was not the case. Cole mentioned that while adjuncts are hired as temporary staff, they also can provide a different perspective. “Most are working professionals, who can demonstrate to students the real-life applications of their respective disciplines while enjoying the experience of interacting with our curious and hard-working students,” Cole claims. Cole went on to mention adjunct professors that come from Pfizer to teach year after year. Turner reaffirmed his experience working with adjuncts, saying that many of them have been able to provide the same quality teaching that himself or another full-time professor would have been able to.
