Fair
Use Notice
For
immediate release
AAUP
Council Adopts Policy
on Contingent Faculty Appointments and the Academic Profession
Washington,
D.C.—The governing Council of the American Association of University
Professors adopted a new policy statement,Contingent Appointments and
the Academic Profession, on November 9.
The
statement addresses theincreasingoverreliance onpart-time and non-tenure-track
faculty that threatensthe quality and stability of higher education
and the academic profession’s capacity to serve the public good.“Contingent”appointments
include all those off the tenure track, whether part or full time, and
whether compensated on a per-course or salary basis. Individuals holding
such appointments are called by varioustitles including“adjuncts,”“lecturers,”“instructors,”and“visiting
professors.”
“Thestatement
breaks new groundbyoffering concrete guidance for stabilizing the profession
and combining a comprehensive analysis of the costs of contingency to
higher education with an articulation of long-standing Association principles,”says
David Gruber, professor of philosophy at Truman State University and
chair of the AAUP subcommittee that developed the statement.“
It addresses the current challenges faced by faculty and institutions
in securing the integrity and effectiveness of the profession.”
Contingent
Appointments and the Academic Profession makes new recommendations in
two areas: increasing the proportion of faculty appointments that are
on the tenure line, and improving job security and due process protections
for those with contingent appointments.
The
proportion of tenure-line appointments may be increased in two ways:
(1)
changing the status of faculty members currently holding non-tenure-track
appointments, and
(2)
creating new tenure-line appointments. With the first method, individuals
holding contingent appointments are offered tenure-eligible reappointments.
With
the second method, new tenure-line positions are created and open searches
are held for candidates to fill them. In both cases, a well-planned
transition to a higher proportion of tenured faculty should be accomplished
primarily through attrition, retirements, and, where appropriate,“
grandfathering” of currently contingent faculty into tenured positions.
Faculty in contingent positions should not bear the cost of transition.
The
policy recommends that when contingent faculty appointments are used,
they should include the full range of faculty responsibilities (teaching,
scholarship, service); comparable compensation for comparable work;
assurance of continuing employment after a reasonable opportunity for
successive reviews; inclusion in institutional governance structures;
and appointment and review processes that involve faculty peers andrely
onaccepted academic due process.
The
policy discusses the negative effects of the increased use of contingent
faculty appointments on academic freedom, undergraduate education, and
academic collegiality. No matter how qualified and dedicatedthey are,
many contingent faculty members are hobbled in the performance of their
duties by a lack of professional treatment and support.
“The
overuse and abuse of contingent faculty, both full-time and part-time, profoundly
threaten academic freedom and the quality of the education we provide
our studentsbecause, without the protection of tenure, faculty too often
are reluctant to explore controversial issues,” comments AAUP
president Jane Buck.“ The Association’s new policy provides a
theoretical framework and practical guidelines for colleges and
universities committed to providing equity for faculty and an intellectually
stimulating environment for students.”
The
draft policy builds on previous AAUP policies, includingThe Status of
Part-Time Faculty(1980),On Full-Time Non-Tenure-Track Appointments(1986),
andThe Status of Non-Tenure-Track Faculty(1993). Recognizing that the
use of contingent appointments has increased dramatically since even
the most recent of these statements was issued, a joint subcommittee
of the Association’s Committee on Part-Time and Non-Tenure-Track
Appointments and Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure revisited
the issue, affirming the AAUP’s long-standing policy that all
faculty with full-time appointments should be eligible for tenure after
a reasonable probationary period, and that part-time and non-tenure-track
appointments should be limited to no more than 15 percent of total instruction
within an institution and no more than 25 percent within a department.
A
draft of the statement was published for comment in the September–October
issue of the AAUP’s magazine, Academe, and on the Association’s
Web site. It was revised in response to comments received.The final
statement is now available on the Web site <www.aaup.org>.
The
American Association of University Professors is a nonprofit charitable
and educational organization that promotes academic freedom by supporting
tenure, academic due process, and standards of quality in higher education.
The AAUP has more than 45,000 members at colleges and universities throughout
the United States.
Robin Burns
American
Association of University Professors
Department
of Public Policy and Communications
1012 Fourteenth Street, NW, #500
Washington, DC 20005
rburns@aaup.org
202-737-5900 ext. 3013
Return
to Top
Fair
Use Notice