Research Blog #10

Abstract:

            In this paper an investigation into adjunct instructors is done. It is told who adjuncts are, how many there are, where they work, and how they are treated. A deeper look into adjuncts at Rutgers University is also a main component of this paper, and an interview with someone who works with the adjuncts here was conducted. Her insightful answers to the various questions served as some great knowledge into the adjunct instructors at Rutgers University. Also, the horrible treatment of these adjuncts concerning compensation is shown through a story of a life-long adjunct that suffered tremendously because of these horrible conditions.

Works Cited

Andersen, L.V. “What Really Happened to Margaret Mary Vojtko, the Duqesne Adjunct             Whose Death Became a Rallying Cry?” Slate Magazine. N.p., 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.

Caruth, Gail. “Adjunct Faculty: Who are these Unsung Heroes of Academe?” Current       Issues in Education. 16.3 (2013): 1-11. 15 Nov. 2013. Print.

Curs, B.R., B. Bhandari, and C. Steiger. “The Roles of Public Higher Education      Expenditure And The Privatization Of The Higher Education On U.S. States Economic Growth.” Journal Of Education Finance 36.4 (2011): 424-441. Scopus. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

Ehrenberg, Ronald G. “THE PERFECT STORM And The Privatization Of Public Higher            Education.” Change 38.1 (2006): 46-53. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Oct.            2014.

Heyboer, Kelly. “Higher Education’s Dirty Little Secret.” Inside New Jersey. 1 Nov.         2014: 20-23, 86. Print.

Kendzior, Sarah. “Professors Making $10,000 a Year? Academia Is Becoming a     Profession Only the Elite Can Afford.” Alternet. 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 17 Nov.    2014.

Kingkade, Tyler. “9 Reasons Why Being An Adjunct Faculty Member Is Terrible.” The   Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2014

Lannan, Katie. “Union County College Adjuncts Petition School for ‘living Wage’ as         Contract Is Negotiated.” NJ.com. 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.

McCarthy, Colman. “Adjunct Professors Fight for Crumbs on Campus.” Washington       Post. The Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2014. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.

Mills, Nicolaus. “The Corporatization of Higher Education.” Dissent Magazine A Quarterly of Politics and Culture. Dissent Magazine, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014

“Rutgers Professor: School Not Prioritizing Instructional Resources.” NJTV News.           Public Media New Jersey. NJTV News. 4 Nov. 2014. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.     

Smith, S.E. “The Disposable Professor Crisis.” Saloncom RSS. Salon Media Group, 4       Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.         

Takahasi, Paul. “Why so Many Higher-ed Professors Make so Little.” Las Vegas             Sun.com. Las Vegas Sun, 15 June 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

Thompson, Karen. Personal Interview. 3 December 2014

Literature Review Blog #5

(2) Kendzior, Sarah. “Professors Making $10,000 a Year? Academia Is Becoming a Profession Only the Elite Can Afford.” Alternet. 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.

(3) This article is all about how little money an adjunct professor actually makes. Also, it further goes into how today college degrees really aren't worth as much as they were years back.

(4) Sarah Kendzior is the author of this article. She is a writer, researcher, and a critic. She is a columnist for Al Jazeera English and the Chronicle of Higher Education.

(5) "My friend is an  adjunct. She has a PhD in anthropology and teaches at a university, where she is paid $2100 per course. While she is a professor, she is not a Professor. She is, like  67 per cent of American university faculty, a part-time employee on a contract that may or may not be renewed each semester. She receives no benefits or health care"(Kendzior pg. 1)

"In most professions, salaries below the poverty line would be cause for alarm. In academia, they are treated as a source of gratitude. Volunteerism is par for the course - literally. Teaching is touted as a "calling", with compensation an afterthought. One American research university offers its PhD students a salary of $1000 per semester for the "opportunity" to design and teach a course for undergraduates, who are each paying about $50,000 in tuition." (Kendzior pg. 1)

(6) This material in the article really reinforced that these adjunct professors are being treated horribly in terms of compensation. It opened a new door for my paper, and I had a new topic to do research on.

Research Blog #8: Interview

I did an interview with Karen Thompson.

1. Who are the adjuncts at Rutgers University?? (are they recent grads, life long adjuncts)

Adjuncts (or part-time lecturers, PTLs, as they are called at Rutgers) are a diverse group, as are full-time faculty.  Many, but not all, have PhDs and look forward to an academic profession.  Some are new to teaching and still believe that the adjunct position will lead to a full-time position.  Others have full-time work elsewhere and add part-time adjunct teaching to their lives for the extra money or for the thrill.  For instance, I have a full-time position at the faculty union (Rutgers AAUP-AFT) in addition to my teaching but this was not always the case.  I have taught part-time at Rutgers since 1979 and in the past I was looking for a full-time position.  Many adjuncts / PTLs teach at multiple institutions in order to piece together a living.  This group is large and makes the low pay particularly egregious.

2. Why do they do it?

As I noted in 1., some adjuncts / PTLs teach to supplement their full-time salaries elsewhere and others cobble together several positions for a living.  Most adjuncts / PTLs accept what appear to be unrewarded positions because they LOVE teaching.  I often point out that this attitude leads them to “volunteer,” teaching for such little compensation that part of the reward is just being able to teach (at a large research institution like Rutgers.)

3. A lot of my research shows how low the wages actually can be, but these adjuncts still remain loyal to this profession.  Why doesn't someone break the cycle and leave for a better paying job?

Some adjuncts / PTLs do leave for greener pastures – out of desperation for more reasonable pay, but you’re right that an unbelievable number stay despite the low pay and no benefits because they love teaching, they enjoy “passing” as a professor, and they are still deluded in believing they have a foot in the door, a path to a full-time position, which they don’t.

4. Why are the administration positions getting paid such high compensation, while the pay for adjuncts is on the decline?  And why are the salaries so low for these adjunct positions?

Administrators are highly paid because they set their own salaries, and adjuncts / PTLs receive little compensation because administrators also get to set their pay and do not value them or their work.  In general, teaching is not valued at the university, whether delivered by adjuncts / PTLs, teachings assistants, or tenure track faculty.  Administrators are up front in saying they like to pay adjuncts / PTLs as little as the market will bear, an indication of their devaluing instruction.  Another reason adjuncts / PTLs are paid so little is that the administration gets away with it – if more adjuncts / PTLs would refuse to teach without further compensation, salaries would be higher.  In fact, salaries are higher in certain disciplines, like business and law, because the relevant professionals will not teach for a pittance.