1 / 21

A Changing Faculty: Contingency and its Consequences for Higher Education

A Changing Faculty: Contingency and its Consequences for Higher Education. Presentation to the American Political Science Association, Department Chairs Professional Development Workshop, February 6, 2009. John W. Curtis Director of Research and Public Policy

ursula
Download Presentation

A Changing Faculty: Contingency and its Consequences for Higher Education

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. A Changing Faculty:Contingency and its Consequences for Higher Education Presentation to the American Political Science Association, Department Chairs Professional Development Workshop, February 6, 2009 John W. Curtis Director of Research and Public Policy American Association of University Professors Washington, DC

  2. Changing Expectations • Higher education’s successes. . . • Innovation • Access • . . . lead to changing expectations • “Return On Investment” • Social objectives (equity, diversity, economic development) February 6, 2009 2

  3. Changing Institutional Context • Decreasing public funding • Decreases in direct support of institutions • Indirectly through financial aid • Increased calls for accountability • Student skills (“outcomes”) • Equity and diversity • Conservative political backlash • The pursuit of money and prestige February 6, 2009 3

  4. Institutional Impact • Impact varies by type of institution • Research U’s and Elite Liberal Arts Colleges:More (marketable) research • CCs: “Higher ed for all” but at reduced cost; Bachelor’s degrees; economic development • Smaller LACs: Seeking their “market niche”; Adult degree completion; shift toward business and professional training • Public Comprehensives (broadly defined): All of the above! Adding research to teaching February 6, 2009 4

  5. And now… • Hiring freezes • Salary freezes • Cuts in travel funding and support for research Quite literally, doing more with less! February 6, 2009 5

  6. Consequences for Faculty • Employment status • Increasing use of contingent faculty (Figure 1) • Workload • More teaching • Increased expectations for working with students • Institutional prestige = (marketable) research and outside funding February 6, 2009 6

  7. Inequities • Impact on individual faculty members is inequitable • Teaching/Research/Service – shifting expectations for institutions, departments, and individuals • Negotiating individual deals • Women faculty are more likely to be in part-time positions (Figure 2) • Among full-time faculty, women are more likely to be in non-tenure-track positions (Figure 3) February 6, 2009 7

  8. Contingent Faculty Status • Defined by the relationship between a faculty member and an institution • Although individual situations vary, the structural impact is enormous • The underlying issue is insufficient funding, but . . . • The “F-Word” February 6, 2009

  9. Contingent Faculty Status • Part-time faculty (adjunct) • By course, by term • No security, low wages, no benefits • Insufficient support (office, technology, professional development) • Not involved in curriculum or pedagogy discussions • “Real World Experience”? February 6, 2009

  10. Contingent Faculty Status • Full-time non-tenure-track faculty • Just visiting? • “Teaching only” • Salary, benefits—but still contingent • Graduate student employees • Students or employees? • TAs or instructors? • Postdoctoral fellows • More disciplines, longer time, more teaching? February 6, 2009

  11. Contingency and its Consequences • For faculty • For institutions • For students • For higher education • (All of these have reciprocal effects.) February 6, 2009

  12. Consequences for Faculty • For contingent faculty • Inability to achieve an academic career • Vulnerability to limited evaluations (student or administrator) • Constraint on academic freedom • For tenure-line faculty • Increased service role • What happens to your graduate students? February 6, 2009

  13. Consequences for Institutions • If faculty are the heart of the institution, what happens when you don’t invest in faculty? • Lack of faculty involvement in curriculum and institutional development • Lack of faculty commitment to the institution • Research and scholarship? • The University of Phoenix model (“unbundling”) February 6, 2009

  14. Consequences for Students • Faculty who are not accessible (short- or long-term, for academics and activities) • Lack of academic advising • Faculty who are not supported for excellent instruction • Faculty who are not involved in ongoing scholarship • Faculty without academic freedom = students who are not challenged February 6, 2009

  15. Consequences for Higher Education • Lack of innovation (research/scholarship, pedagogy, and curriculum) • What is the incentive to pursue an academic career? • Lack of connection to community • Fundamental shift: focus on private benefit (faculty, students, institutions, society) February 6, 2009

  16. What to do? • Tenure-line faculty • Holistic faculty work • Monitor hiring trends • Support contingent faculty colleagues • Work through associations • Higher Education Institutions • Provide support, fair compensation, and security for contingent faculty • Long-term planning for tenure-line faculty positions February 6, 2009 16

  17. What to do? • Government • Invest in higher education as a social good (both directly and indirectly) • Take a longer-term perspective (e.g., education vs. prison) • Employers • Invest in education for employees (current and potential), not just training February 6, 2009

  18. What to do? • AAUP Policy Statements • Contingent Appointments and the Academic Profession (2003) http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/policydocs/contents/conting-stmt.htm • Planning for transition • Conversion of non-tenure-track to tenure-track • New tenure-track hiring: consideration for contingent faculty members; attrition • Multi-year process February 6, 2009

  19. What to do? • AAUP Policy Statements • Recommended Institutional Regulations (RIR) #13 Part-Time Faculty Appointments (2006) • Formalized terms and conditions, due process • Notice of reappointment/non-reappointment • Continuing appointments February 6, 2009

  20. Challenges for Department Chairs (Variations by type of institution and urban/rural location) • Replacements for departing tenured faculty • Last-minute staffing • Part-time faculty qualifications • Graduate-student instructors • Integrating contingent faculty members into the work of the department February 6, 2009

  21. Questions? Comments? John W. CurtisDirector of Research and Public PolicyAmerican Association of University ProfessorsWashington, DCjcurtis@aaup.org(202) 737-5900 x. 143 AAUP Contingent Faculty Index 2006http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/research/conind2006.htm Resources on contingent faculty http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/issues/contingent/

More Related