If the Virginia Community College (VCCS) wants to facilitate change within its member institutions, it cannot afford to ignore its adjuncts, especially because their numbers increase each year and currently exceed the national average for similar institutions.  For example, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (2001), public two-year institutions in the US employ an average of 35% part-time faculty.  Within the VCCS, however, the Spring 1999 percentage of part-timers was 52.3% (VCCS, 2000).  Unfortunately, this percentage has continued to rise each year despite Chapter 935 of the Virginia Acts of Assembly, which calls for a state standard of 30% part-time faculty members within the VCCS (VCCS, 2000).  Since achieving the state standard percentage of adjuncts may be impossible, then perhaps the VCCS could consider developing its current adjuncts, which might result in an improvement in the overall instructional environment of the VCCS as well as an increase in institutional effectiveness for its member institutions.

Instead of treating its adjuncts like invisible strangers, the VCCS could provide its adjuncts with better opportunities for professional development.  These opportunities could be offered both VCCS-wide and locally.  For example, adjuncts could be enticed to attend VCCS conferences such as New Horizons with reduced or fully funded conference fees.  Also, allowing adjuncts to apply for and receive VCCS professional development grants after they had taught a significant number of semesters for the system might spark the growth of both the adjunct as well as the VCCS.

Locally, full-time faculty members within each discipline could make a greater effort to include adjuncts within their learning communities, thereby nurturing the development of both the full-time and part-time faculty.  For instance, NVCC has created both virtual and real environments to encourage communication among all faculty members within a specific discipline or among those possessing a common goal.  One illustration of these communities is NOVA Gold, a program to improve retention within developmental English and ESL student populations.  NOVA Gold uses Blackboard to extend the communication among its full-time and part-time developmental English and ESL faculty members.  As another example, Dogwood, a group that encourages technology integration at NVCC, invites adjuncts to join its learning community, which is also supported by Blackboard.  These learning communities are enriched by their many diverse voices.

In addition, we could give our adjuncts a greater role in our system of shared governance, especially at the local level.  Adjuncts need the chance to voice their opinions on decisions that directly affect them.  Without this opportunity, adjuncts may feel powerless, and, because change involves risk, feelings of powerlessness are not conducive to innovation.  Therefore, groups like campus TLTR's, textbook selection committees and portfolio evaluation boards should attempt to include adjuncts, for the decisions they make affect the adjuncts directly.  Just like any other group, adjuncts bring many diverse perspectives to an issue, perspectives that would be lost if the adjuncts were not included.

If the VCCS rewarded its adjuncts with a few of the opportunities that are accorded to full-time employees, we might see more adjuncts that stayed loyal to their institutions, thereby reducing the high turnover rate many departments witness within their part-time faculty ranks.  Likewise, those adjuncts who remained would probably be happier with their jobs, and greater job satisfaction could lead to more effective instruction and better educated students, which in turn would be reflected within the newly mandated institutional effectiveness reports.  Therefore, recognizing adjuncts for the important job they perform within the VCCS creates a win-win situation for everyone.

References

National Center for Education Statistics. 2001.  Institutional policies and practices: Results from the 1999 national study of postsecondary faculty, institution survey (NSOPF: 99).  Washington, D.C.  U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.

Virginia Community College System. 2000.  2000-2002 Legislative agenda: Moving Virginians into the 21^st century.  Richmond, VA.