Employment of part-time, temporary, and non-tenure track faculty can be hazardous to programs, institutions, individuals, and even the character of the academic profession, but in some situations, when carefully applied, it may lead to substantial benefits. (Author/MSE)

This report examines the changes, and the potential consequences of those changes, in the employment patterns of American academics, focusing specifically on the use of short-term and temporary instructors by postsecondary institutions. Following a brief introduction, the report describes shifts in hiring patterns of postsecondary institutions,…

This paper, one in a series about the priorities of the professoriate, traces the rise in the use of part-time faculty and asks whether academic employment has become a dual labor market. Data for the study was derived from the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty. The research focuses on the effects on part-time faculty and on educational…