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

Teaching Development

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.