Maximizing Visiting & Adjunct Faculty Appointments

Goals

• To familiarize visiting and adjunct faculty with Lafayette resources that can maximize their experience at the College
• To provide recommendations that promote the development of visiting and adjunct faculty at Lafayette

Overview

Visiting and adjunct faculty have the unique opportunity to contribute to the College on a full-time or part-time basis for a defined amount of time. McNaughtan et al. (2017) report that between the years of 1993 to 2014, the number of non-tenure-track faculty rose by 45%. Such growth shows the increased importance of these faculty for departments at colleges and universities.  

There are a variety of benefits to being a non-tenure-track faculty member at Lafayette such as having the opportunity to advance the education of undergraduate learners, furthering institutional strategic plans, refining teaching methods, forming networks and connections, having a flexible schedule around teaching obligations, and progressing towards career goals in higher education. Non-tenure-track faculty can take a number of steps to orient themselves to the institution and maximize their experiences while at the College.  

Recommendations

Orientation to the College

• Join a Campus Tour run by Admissions to learn more about the institution.
• Review a summary of key resources for faculty new to Lafayette.

Being Connected

• Attend events of the Visiting and Adjunct Faculty Community of practice run by the Center for the Integration of Teaching, Learning and Scholarship. This community meets to discuss topics of specific interest to visiting and adjunct faculty. Contact citls@lafayette.edu for more information and look out for related event announcements.
• Be visible on campus by attending relevant College functions (faculty meetings, social events, etc.).
• Attend events of the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC) Community of Practice for contingent faculty.

Teaching Development

• Participate in initiatives run or co-sponsored by the Center for the Integration of Teaching, Learning and Scholarship.
• Ask a colleague or the teaching center director to observe a class to obtain personalized formative feedback on teaching or ask relevant questions.

Scholarship

• Join the Faculty Writing Groups to make progress on scholarly work. Contact citls@lafayette.edu for more information, and look out for related event announcements.

Lafayette Resources

• Department Heads – Key contacts for visiting and adjunct faculty.
• Center for the Integration of Teaching, Learning and Scholarship – Provides a number of resources for all faculty including visitors and adjuncts.
• Visiting and Adjunct Faculty Community of Practice – A community of non-tenure-track faculty that gathers to network and obtain valuable resources that maximize their appointments while at the institution.

Additional Resource

• Anzzolin, K. (2015). Dr. Google, Psy.D. Inside Higher Education. Retrieved from: https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2015/10/28/quasi-hopeful-guide-being-visiting-assistant-professor-essay

References

McNaughtan J, García HA, Nehls, K. (2017). Understanding the Growth of Contingent Faculty. New Directions for Institutional Research, 176, 9-26. DOI: 10.1002/ir.20241.