Adjunct Professors

The other day I saw a piece of news on the plight of part-time college professors.

Now these day, to cut operating costs, many companies conduct their business with many part-time workers.  To my biggest surprise, these cost-saving measures are also prevalent practices in colleges and universities.  Part-time instructors or adjunct professors in the nationa's community colleges or universities are being hired on a course-by course basis.  According to PBS's NewsHour the other day, many fully qualified young professors with advanced degrees and loads of student loans can only secure part-time teaching positions.  The average earnings of a supplementary professor are around $12,000 per year.  While the salary ranges for their tenured counters are in the high-five to six figures ranges, auxiliary professors get paid at $2,000 to 2,500 per course.

The large disparity in earnings between an adjunct professor and a tenured faculty member had kept many college instructors living below the poverty line.  The make the ends meet, one individual teaches three courses at different schools.  And another a/p, a Ph. D. cum single mom, must commune each day to and from the school that is far away from where she and her daughter live. The same professor had to rely food stamps to support the family.  -  Ayee