Today, a national walkout is scheduled for adjunct professors across our country as an outcry to reform adjunct professor wages ensues. A recent Washington Post blog, comments on the issues at hand regarding the wage debate ensuing on our campuses across the country.
As an adjunct professor, the subject is not only near and dear to my heart but also a subject matter that I can speak from with over 20 years of experience. Teaching is not a profession that one delves into because they want to make money. Trust me, it’s not. It is a profession or rather a calling for many to impart their knowledge and experiences in their fields of expertise with those students who want to gain greater understanding of that field or for some students because the curriculum says it’s required.
Here, this debate makes it clear; we have a difference in perspectives. It is easy to say what another’s perceived value is when looking from the outside in but is a totally different story when you are on the inside. How many of you know what it truly takes to carry the distinction of adjunct faculty? For those of us that do, we understand the VALUE that is being provided day after day, semester after semester, graduating class after graduating class. The value goes beyond the student, beyond the reputation that the university gains from having seasoned adjunct faculty teaching their students, it is a value that ultimately our communities gain in having well-trained, competent members of our society continue to share, expand and create services utilizing those nuggets of wisdom that those experts have shared with them.
Speaking from experience, I have had the honor to teach at places where the pay has been as low as $2,500 (and those numbers are recent) to as much as close to $5,000 per class. Now to many, these numbers may seem like excellent money and don’t get me wrong for many individuals this amount of money is nothing to look the other way. However, if you are to do a break-down of the monies being paid out to adjuncts, the numbers don’t begin to add up as nicely as they first appear. So let’s take for example, a course for $2,500. This money is paid out for 16 week courses, each course, in this example, was 3 hours per week of face time with the students in class, add an additional 2 to 3 hours of additional work required to prepare for the class brings us to at least 5-6 hours. This would be average. Then, take into account weeks where you are grading exams, reading and grading essays and papers, for 25 students (on the low end), the amount of time doubles if not triples.
I always tell my students, life is about math. So, let’s do the math.
$2,500.00/16 weeks= 156.25 per week $156.25/6 hours= $26.04 vs.$156.25/12 hours= $13.02
and so on and so forth.
And for those that want a per student rate at $13.02, it actually works out to $4.52 a student.
Yet, we charge the student optimal rates for their education under the guise that it is worth every single penny because they are gaining VALUE and many universities now proudly display the ROI (return on investment) for their students. That one particular class say at a low $1,500 has brought into the university $37,500. Yet, the person imparting the VALUE got paid $2,500. I won’t even go into the type of behaviors some faculty have to endure from their students; that’s a whole different conversation.
Now, even for the “better” paying institutions, the numbers are still pretty abysmal. Why? Well, it’s all about the numbers. Personally, I have taught classes where the average student body was 50 (some climbed as high as 75). I won’t bore you with the numbers. But try them out and you will see. (Per student, rates are .50!) Yes, .50! It’s not a typo.
In the 20 years I have taught the pay has only gone up about $1500.00 per class or $50 a year. We must ask ourselves, why is it that we devalue those that are so crucial to our societies well-being? This is a discussion that needs to occur. We need to talk about VALUE and we need to negotiate. Life is all about negotiation. Our institutes of higher learning need to compensate those adequately for their service and value.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE what I do! To be able to see those future leaders eyes light up when they understand a concept is AMAZING, to get those e-mails where the students tell you that you have shaped and changed their lives and the lives of others because you shared your knowledge and expertise is priceless. But it still boils down to VALUE. Adjuncts provide a priceless value to the students, universities and community that they and these future students/leaders will serve. Why not pay them for the value they deserve?
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