SO WHAT'S IN A TITLE?

Hello Fellow Adjuncts:

Some recent articles have mentioned that there are numerous titles that adjuncts hold at our colleges and universities.  Adjunct Faculty member seems to be the most obvious one and I think we all relate to what that appears to mean.  No tenure, no or few benefits, no guarantees.

  

At some of our colleges, we are associate faculty.  At others, contingent faculty.  I am sure there are many that I am missing.  If we think more about it, we might also use a title that may or may not be related to our status as part-timers: like Professor or Doctor, Mr. or Ms. etc.  In fact, some part-time faculty members prefer that students speak to us on a first-name basis.

If we, in fact, hold a "rank" within the part-time faculty, such as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor, I wonder if there are any perks that come with those.  Do these titles result in the ability to secure more courses per year or per semester?  Or are these titles conferred on us due to our previous teaching experience, either at the current institution and/or including our total teaching experiences elsewhere.

 

Have you actually noticed what occurs in your own circumstance?  Are full professors teaching more often than those with lesser titles?  Or are those with more experience privy to more courses?

  

Notice, I am not mentioning additional pay or opportunity for more benefits. This post is really all about Who We Are at the college and if we have different titles, what do those titles mean in terms of courses we can teach and how often we teach them.  Does it really matter what we are called? 

I know you just hate to add opinions to these posts, but I am hoping you'll add a thought or two about your experiences with titles and what they mean to you, including whether it makes you feel better to have a more meaningful title.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the fall foliage.

Ever the Adjunct,

M. Linda Martinak, Ed.D.