2008 Woodie Awards
Temporary faculty: Benefit or burden?
Profs share mixed feelings of short-term colleagues
By Lexxie Shiring
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 11/9/07 Section: News
Condravy thinks it is difficult to expect temporary faculty to carry a large or even small advisement load.
"It is difficult to expect temporary faculty to contribute service to their college or university, difficult to expect them to engage in a lot of scholarship on behalf of the department or university they are in," Condravy said.
"And by the nature of their job, it is difficult for temporary members to make the commitment to the university and students that is best."
John R. Seiders II, assistant professor of chemistry, sees the advantages and disadvantages of having temporary faculty.
"The temporary faculty we use have the same qualifications as our 10-year faculty, but they just happen to be fulfilling a temporary role," Seiders said.
Seiders thinks that there is a downside to temporary faculty.
"Sometimes we do not get the same temporary faculty over and over again," Seiders said, "The students see one professor for two years then see another, and it is hard to build student-professor relationships."
Some professors believe that temporary faculty members are not treated as well financially as 10-year track faculty members.
Richard Martin, a political science professor, doesn't think temporary faculty benefit the well-being of students.
"It is an onerous burden to do the searches, do the evaluations, and it is not helpful for students and it is really bad for the faculty themselves," Martin said. "We have created a professorate where people go from temporary position to temporary position and do not get promoted."
Condravy agrees that temporary faculty are not treated as well as they should be.
"Temporary faculty are hired in at a particular salary, then if they should be hired the next year as full-time faculty, they stay at that step," Condravy said. "They do not get the service increment; they stay where they are."
"It is difficult to expect temporary faculty to contribute service to their college or university, difficult to expect them to engage in a lot of scholarship on behalf of the department or university they are in," Condravy said.
"And by the nature of their job, it is difficult for temporary members to make the commitment to the university and students that is best."
John R. Seiders II, assistant professor of chemistry, sees the advantages and disadvantages of having temporary faculty.
"The temporary faculty we use have the same qualifications as our 10-year faculty, but they just happen to be fulfilling a temporary role," Seiders said.
Seiders thinks that there is a downside to temporary faculty.
"Sometimes we do not get the same temporary faculty over and over again," Seiders said, "The students see one professor for two years then see another, and it is hard to build student-professor relationships."
Some professors believe that temporary faculty members are not treated as well financially as 10-year track faculty members.
Richard Martin, a political science professor, doesn't think temporary faculty benefit the well-being of students.
"It is an onerous burden to do the searches, do the evaluations, and it is not helpful for students and it is really bad for the faculty themselves," Martin said. "We have created a professorate where people go from temporary position to temporary position and do not get promoted."
Condravy agrees that temporary faculty are not treated as well as they should be.
"Temporary faculty are hired in at a particular salary, then if they should be hired the next year as full-time faculty, they stay at that step," Condravy said. "They do not get the service increment; they stay where they are."
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