Research on first-year college students (FYCS) indicate that faculty, including part-time, non-tenure track faculty (PTNTTF), play a vital role in meeting the academic needs of FYCS to facilitate their academic success. However, the literature on PTNTTF suggests that the departmental culture they experience may impact their ability to meet…

In this reflective narrative I share my experience as a contingent faculty member, woman of color, and mother, working, and parenting through a global pandemic and social uprising. I utilize testimonio (Delgado Bernal et al., 2012) as a methodological tool to make visible the labor I engage in and the collective experience between contingent…

VITAL faculty, also known as non-tenure-track instructors at colleges and universities in the United States, play critical roles in educating students but are often excluded from professional development and community-building opportunities that support their growth and development as instructors. In this article, we describe how we addressed…

In an extensive study of part-time academic faculty, Gappa and Leslie ("The Invisible Faculty: Improving the Status of Part-Timers in Higher Education." San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993) developed a typology consisting of four employment profiles based primarily on academic background, employment history, and career motivations:…

The purpose of the action research project was to provide part-time professors in the California community college system a framework for meaningful professional development that could lead to more preparedness and empowerment; and to give part-time professors an avenue to gain leadership opportunities, and greater control over their learning and…

This paper provides an overview of the literature exploring the realities of contingent faculty at U.S. universities and colleges with a focus on STEM. We focus our review of the literature by exploring the experiences of Latinx/é contingent faculty in STEM and propose a series of conceptual frameworks that can be used to explore the hidden…

As the pedagogy of online instruction in higher learning institutions and universities continues to grow, academic leaders must determine the needs and ambitions of online faculty and staff to facilitate workplace satisfaction, personal growth, faculty retention, and professional progress. The problem is that, as the pedagogy of online instruction…

The number of adjunct faculty members in higher education has been increasing nationally over the past two decades, and schools of social work are no exception to this trend. There has been robust debate about adjunct use, given concerns about low pay, poor access to benefits, lack of inclusion in academic decision making, and little support…

Although part-time faculty have long contributed specialized expertise to colleges and universities, their role has shifted away from specialized expertise as they have shouldered an increasing share of day-to-day teaching operations at colleges and universities. Today, part-time faculty provide higher education institutions a flexible workforce…

Positive interpersonal relationships between college administration and faculty are necessary as they contribute to organizational climate measures, such as a sense of belonging and perceived organizational worth. Furthermore, such relationships may combat against faculty cynicism. Interpersonal experiences are particularly relevant in a…

Attaining the rank of faculty in higher education is much like being inducted into a secret society. Institutional and professional knowledge are shared like secret passwords and handshakes…to new tenure-track faculty. Those on the tenure track receive orientation and participate in mentoring and professional development programs during their…

This report provides insights into VITAL faculty members' engagement in sustained professional development (SPD) programs, such as faculty learning communities. Throughout the report, we examine how differences in VITAL faculty's career characteristics (e.g., full-time or part-time, promotion opportunities and contract length, career role,…

This national qualitative exploratory study utilizes a critical social class lens to analyze how nontenured part-time faculty members' relationships with their tenured/tenure-track colleagues and management shape their attitudes and behaviors toward their employment in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 54 participants were…

The following exploration examined the impact of working conditions on faculty teaching for full-time faculty and non-tenure track faculty within an academic department at a large Midwestern university to determine whether employment status and working conditions potentially impacted student learning outcomes. Questions asked of participating…

With a rapid increase in higher education online course offerings, many institutions are hiring part-time faculty to meet the demand of online learning. However, a lack of professional development in online course facilitation has proven to limit the effectiveness of facilitation and hinder the foundational quality standards the courses were built…