2008 Woodie Awards
Adjunct Faculty Vital To Campus Community
by Rachel Schaefer
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Adjunct faculty make up a significant -- although temporary -- proportion of Minnesota State's learning community.
Adjunct faculty are hired for a set period of time and are temporary hires, though some adjuncts will get hired repeatedly. The number fluctuates every year.
"They're hired per semester and they may be hired for the academic year," Gwyn Outka, Assistant Director of Human Resources said. "We have adjuncts we hire year after year."
The difference is that adjuncts do not have security or a promise of long term employment.
There are certain qualifications applicants for adjunct must meet.
"They all need at least a master's degree," Outka said. "The qualifications depend on the discipline."
Adjuncts are often hired to fill specific needs or teach specific classes that they are especially qualified to teach.
"They have some special skill that the normal faculty doesn't have," Outka said.
Adjunct faculty are hired through a specific process.
"Each year, we put out a notice that we're looking for applicants for out adjunct pool," said Donal Larsson, Chair of the English department.
"And then we have the pool to draw from in the course of the coming year, depending on what our needs are," Larsson said.
Adjunct faculty get paid at a different rate than regular faculty. The adjunct rate is $1100 per credit hour.
Larsson said, "As adjunct they can't teach more than ten credits a year."
Although Outka said adjuncts can pick up extra credits and exceed the ten-credit maximum, but that would put them in a new pay range for that year.
Larsson said there are about 20 in his department.
Adjuncts often have other full-time jobs or responsibilities outside of the college.
"Some [adjuncts] are stay-at-home caregivers," Larsson said, "and use this to supplement their income."
"Some of them have teaching positions elsewhere," he said.
Carrie Finn, Student Relations Coordinator of the College of Arts and Humanities, has also been an adjunct faculty member for about five years.
"I wanted to stay connected to students," Finn said. "Also just to stay in the classroom."
But having all those papers to correct and classes to teach doesn't make life easier.
"Its hard because I'm working full time," she said.
Rachel Schaefer is a Reporter staff writer