Have you ever:
1. Eaten more than one meal a day in your car?
2. Forgotten what day of the week it is because you don’t know where you’re supposed to be?
3. Known your schedule would change every semester and sometimes with only a few days’ notice?
4. Gotten a backache from carrying all your teaching materials around?
5. Shared your real-world experience with your students?
6. Contributed to a student’s success?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might be an adjunct! It is easy to focus on the negative aspects of our daily academic lives, especially when “adjunct” literally means “auxiliary” or “non-essential.” Although adjunct faculty were originally intended to be supplemental teachers who brought their real-world knowledge to the classroom, universities often employ part-time faculty as a cost-saving measure, even though such teachers frequently have earned terminal degrees and have years of experience in their respective fields. Despite their part-time status and the sometimes tenuous nature of their positions, adjunct faculty are, more than ever, essential to the success of universities.
In this keynote address, Dr. Ann Glazer Niren and Dr. Rebekah Dement will help you remember the reason that you entered the teaching profession. Having served as adjuncts for many years, they will share their rich and unique histories through honest and humorous discussion. This talk will validate and celebrate adjunct faculty and suggest ways to bring joy, creativity, and meaning into your academic life, both individually and as part of a community.
