THAT ADJUNCT GUY

Who Is That Guy?

I walk up the stairs and enter my office, fortunate to not share one with another staff member, and close the door. Occasionally, I hear energetic banter and laughter coming from other instructor offices, but mostly it is quiet. Class preparation, marking, and student conferences take place during my time at the office, when not teaching. It would be great if I had the time and more importantly the permission and funding to conduct research or attend conferences pertinent to my field of study. That is not to say such endeavors are impossible if I am willing to pay for it out of my limited and somewhat irregular income each semester, however that remains impractical as an adjunct lecturer.

The “Passed Over Instructors”

Adjunct lecturers are often viewed by full-time faculty from a distance, as some view them as “damaged merchandise” with tainted images of “If these adjuncts were capable and hard working, they would be tenured or tenure-track by now!” or “Maybe if these adjuncts had strong research or published works, they would now be full-time!” Of course it is unfair to lump all full-time instructors together as a good number began their academic careers as struggling adjunct lecturers and understand and can empathize with the plight of temporary or casual hired instructors. Often, a very capable and competent adjunct with outstanding student course evaluations simply was never viewed as a “Good Fit” by hiring committees who have their own set and ideal image of a potential colleague. “You are a good person and have all of the necessary qualifications and experience, however, your are not what we are looking for.” As an adjunct with some 25 plus years of teaching experience, early on during my career, I can recall “feeling overly positive” and optimistic after completing what I thought to be a “great job interview and teaching demo” for a full-time teaching position. Many of these were second or final interviews during the hiring process. All of this optimism quickly ended when I received a “Thank you, but we are not able to offer you employment. We wish you success in your future endeavors” rejection letters in the mail. As I grew older and my resume laced with “Looks like a permanent adjunct lecturer here,” the job interviews stopped replaced by “Thank you for applying……..” letters. Unfortunately, there were numerous qualified applicants and you were not.……”

Life As An Adjunct Instructor

Students will address an adjunct as “Professor” which will sometimes cause consternation and objections from full-time, tenured faculty. “That person is only an adjunct lecturer and a casual temporary hire!” Some adjuncts let this bother them, however, there are more important issues or areas to pick a fight, in my humble opinion. Adjuncts are often viewed as casual or temporary instructor to “fill-in” and cover courses that full-timers chose not to teach or are unwilling to take on due their area of specialty, such as introductory composition which is labor intensive with heavy marking and grading. It is not uncommon for an adjunct to not speak to other faculty members, aside from department meetings, if that. Many full-timers will not take the time to associate with adjuncts unless they need to as there is no motivation to do so. It is not uncommon for an adjunct to attend a staff meeting resulting in quiet whispers or blank looks which say “Who is this person?”

In some cases, adjuncts are able to gain acclaim and a positive reputation among the students, who pass it on to others considering taking a particular course. Contrary to the image of being nomad instructors or “freeway faculty,” a good number of adjunct teach courses which are useful, interesting, engaging, practical, and bring “real-world” experiences into the classroom. While many students enjoy such teaching, full-time tenured staff often see this a “not academic or research based.” While tenured faculty will often focus on and value their research, and for good reason, adjuncts focus is primarily on teaching and various learning methods. However, this popularity can be a negative and a source of jealousy and bitterness among tenured faculty. Some tenured staff will view a popular adjunct instructor as subpar because that person lacks a PhD. Others see it as an uneven playing field as adjuncts can focus only on teaching and are not obligated with time consuming department committee work unlike the tenured or tenure-track.

Why Don’t They Just Quit?

This is a common reply or retort from many observers regarding the working conditions and treatment of adjunct college and university instructors. Many with say “Stop complaining and being angry!” “Do something else with your life!” This sounds very appealing, but is simplistic. With many adjuncts, years can pass by with the time, work, and energy invested until one realizes and understands that a full-time, tenure-track teaching position is not going to happen. In many cases, we were fooled into believing we had a future or chance to become full fledged faculty members at our colleges or universities. Time does go by and before you know it, 10, 15, 20 or more years have passed. One positive benefit is to be able to piece together an employment history at one campus or university system that will award such adjuncts with retirement benefits and a pension. The pension will not as much compared to a retiring full-timer, but still, it is a reward for all of the time invested, hardship, and perseverance. Is it worth it? That is up to each individual to decide.

Ultimately each individual needs to do what is best for themselves and their family.

That Adjunct Guy
September 20, 2026