Adjunct Hiring

I'm back from sabbatical and adjunct hiring season is upon us. Our small college often has trouble finding adjuncts in the sciences.

Things that work in our favor:
* Large metropolitan area = lots of Ph.D.'s
* Large metropolitan area is pretty cool = people living here want to stay here

Things that work against us:
* Large metropolitan area = lots of industry jobs for scientists
* We pay crap

In a bad year, we only get those people who have not been rehired in their previous adjunct gigs for one reason or another. This usually doesn't go so well. Don't get me wrong, there are fantastic adjuncts around - we just don't usually pay enough to attract this group.

In a great year, we get wonderful people that are "stuck" here for one reason or another. They come to us because of timing. We just plain luck out and are in the right place at the right time to sign them up. This situation is great for us - we get awesome people who are enthusiastic and wish to use the opportunity to improve their teaching. Unfortunately (for us anyway) this happens only by random chance and is not something we can count on. We shouldn't expect anything different when we are offering crappy pay and only one semester contracts, of course. In fact, what bothers me the most about this whole situation is this exploitation. I am extremely uncomfortable about the idea that we are getting great adjuncts for very few $$ just because, say, scientists often marry scientists and two body problems suck. (A victim of the two body problem myself, I feel some kinship here.)

Fortunately, all of our terrific adjuncts of this sort have found tenure track jobs in the year following their employment with us. Our chair credits himself with this, as if he has somehow paved their way to the promised land. This make him feel better about the crappy pay. The truth is, these people were good before they came to us. They got good jobs because they were good, not because they were with us. We were lucky to have them.

Today we interviewed someone really energetic and enthusiastic about teaching who is making his way back into academia. Tomorrow we are scheduled to interview two candidates who look great on paper. I believe both are halves of academic couples stuck in the area by virtue by spousal/partner employment.

This may be a good year.



p.s. You may be relieved to know I'm also currently advocating for better pay for adjuncts.