Part-Time Faculty / Suzanne B. Clery.

This study relates information regarding the role part-time faculty members fill in colleges and universities. Data are from the U.S. Department of Education's National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty, 1999. In that year, 2 of every 5 faculty members taught on a part-time basis, and they taught nearly 40% of all classes and students that were taught in credit courses. Although part-time faculty members are not often expected to publish in as great numbers as full-time faculty members, one-third of part-time faculty members completed publications in the past 2 years. And if part-time faculty members did complete publications, the number they did complete was, overall, only slightly less than the production of their full-time counterparts. The use of part-time faculty members was not evenly distributed across groups. Sixty percent of community college faculty members were part-time, and part-time faculty were more likely to be in private colleges than in public four-year institutions. Women and American Indians were more likely to teach on a part-time basis, and Asian/Pacific Islanders were less likely to be part-time faculty. Youngest and oldest faculty members were also most likely to have part-time status. The majority of part-time faculty members held master's degrees as their highest degree. One-third of part-time faculty considered the position to be their primary position, and 76% preferred to tech part-time. The average length of time in a part-time position was 7 years, indicating that this was not something faculty members came into lightly and left soon. Part-time faculty members were not as satisfied with their benefits or job security as their full-time counterparts, but they are more satisfied on many other measures. (SLD)

NEA Higher Education Research Center Update, v7 n4 Sep 2001. ericd

Microfiche. [Washington D.C.]: ERIC Clearinghouse microfiches : positive.