Before commenting upon the proper role of adjunct faculty, let me clear up one possible misconception.  While more faculty members within the VCCS are presently eligible for retirement than at any other time in the system’s history, and while colleges are relying increasingly upon adjunct instructors (in 1996-97, 51.8% of the VCCS course credit hour load was taught by part-time faculty; by 2000-01, the percentage had risen to 57.2%), these two facts are not necessarily related.  An increase in full-time faculty retirements does not imply a corresponding increase in adjunct faculty.  Most positions vacated as a result of full-time faculty retirements are filled with new full-time faculty hires, and the growth in part-time faculty within the VCCS is probably more a result of overall system growth, meeting community needs, and balancing college budgets than of impending retirements.  Indeed, not only are many VCCS institutions replacing retired full-time instructors with new full-time instructors, but they are hiring additional new full-time faculty as well.  At one college, for instance, eleven new full-time faculty members have been hired during the past two years.  Nine replaced faculty who had either retired or resigned, and the remaining two were brand new positions.

Now that that is clarified, let me comment upon what I perceive to be the proper role of adjunct faculty.  Many within the VCCS fear that we are relying too heavily upon part-time faculty and that somehow this dilutes the quality of the education we provide our students.  They note that adjunct faculty seldom serve on college-wide committees and too often do not keep office hours or meet with students outside of class.  They state that adjuncts are hired simply as a cost-savings measure.  They also point to the goal of the VCCS to maintain a 70:30 ratio between full- and part-time faculty -- a goal unlikely to be achieved any time soon.  There is some truth to all of these claims.

To some degree, however, the fear of employing too many part-time faculty runs counter to the purpose of the community college.  In fact, I would argue that the community college mission cannot be achieved without relying to a large (though certainly not exclusive) extent upon adjunct faculty.  Because the mission of community colleges is broad, community-based, and responsive to business and industry needs, a wide range of technical and specialized courses must be offered each semester.  Few, if any, institutions can afford to employ full-time faculty members to teach in each and every one of these specialized areas, yet they can afford to use highly motivated and qualified specialists to teach their specialties.  And these specialists are not only current in their fields, but they bring an immediacy and unique professional presence to the classroom.  The more technical the field, the more valuable adjuncts become.  In this sense, adjuncts provide a wonderful supplement to what full-time faculty do best -- teach in core areas.  Full-time faculty can concentrate on concepts and fundamentals, while adjuncts provide the industry specific, technical skills required for entry level in many professions.

The challenge to VCCS schools is not to worry so much about the mix of full- and part-time faculty (except possibly within non-technical disciplines), but to provide the support adjuncts need in order to thrive in the classroom.  For many adjuncts this support will include pedagogical training (although they may be experts in their specialized fields, many lack training in teaching itself); for others, it will include technological and clerical support; and for still others, it will include innovative solutions to common problems (adjunct faculty who cannot meet with students on campus, for instance, can keep virtual office hours).  Because adjunct faculty serve an integral role in achieving the community college mission, working conditions of adjuncts should mirror as much as possible those of full-time faculty, and we should treat adjunct faculty members as valued colleagues and fellow educators.