Browse Ideas with tag 'faculty':

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  Live Summit Discussion »

  The plight of adjunct faculty

  This country is in dire need of re-examining the ways in which adjunct faculty are hired, retained, and remunerated. The adjunct system is a travesty, an abuse of power, and a detriment to the educational system in America. The inequities have got to STOP! How many students understand that the majority of their teachers have no job security, make 50% of what their full-time counterparts make, and often have no health ...more »

  This country is in dire need of re-examining the ways in which adjunct faculty are hired, retained, and remunerated. The adjunct system is a travesty, an abuse of power, and a detriment to the educational system in America. The inequities have got to STOP! How many students understand that the majority of their teachers have no job security, make 50% of what their full-time counterparts make, and often have no health or retirement benefits whatsoever? This is antithetical to everything education represents, both to students and to the larger community.

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  Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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  Increasing Graduation Rates »

  Increase funding for Academic and Career Counseling

  Trained professional counseling faculty are critical to help students identify and achieve their academic goals. Students greatly benefit from the support of counseling faculty to make informed decisions and to learn the skills to be successful in college. Funding to increase the counselor-to-student ratio would lead to higher graduation rates.

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  Submitted by schuyler 2 years ago

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  Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »

  Remember Adjunct Faculty

  Please include Adjunct Faculty in this policy discussion. We account for the vast majority of the faculty at all community colleges. We are no less qualified -- I have a Masters from Yale -- and no less committed!

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  Submitted by katereit 2 years ago

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  Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »

  Two Tier Faculty- this is the BEST we can do?

  I observe that, despite the heavy documentation of ongoing systematic exploitation of adjunct faculty, and despite the hard work and noble, brave efforts of some organizations to call attention to this well-known national shame—those in power exhibit a level of apathy and paralysis both monumental and disgraceful. Their failure to take any meaningful action entrenches us ever more firmly in the muddy quagmire of this ...more »

  I observe that, despite the heavy documentation of ongoing systematic exploitation of adjunct faculty, and despite the hard work and noble, brave efforts of some organizations to call attention to this well-known national shame—those in power exhibit a level of apathy and paralysis both monumental and disgraceful. Their failure to take any meaningful action entrenches us ever more firmly in the muddy quagmire of this officially sanctioned swamp. Academia is noted for championing fair labor practices and diversity- and so, nursing this viper at their collective breast is the height of hypocrisy. Don't we want to do our BEST wherever we are? Is this actually the BEST that this highly educated, intelligent, supposedly justice-sensitive, group can do? THIS is our collective personal best? I find that not just hard to believe, I find it impossible to believe. We are operating, as a group, within a systematic framework of colossal injustice as the NORM! And we have the nerve to cast a disparaging eye upon others! For shame! "Badly done!"

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  Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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  Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »

  Give faculty same protections McDonald's employees get!

  Adjunct faculty compose more than 70% of the faculty at community colleges, yet because they are typically considered 'contractors', they do not receive even the minimum labor law protection that a McDonald's employee gets. Adjuncts do not have minimum wage protections. Adjuncts do not have discrimination protections. Adjuncts do not have safe working environment protections. Adjuncts do not have overtime protections ...more »

  Adjunct faculty compose more than 70% of the faculty at community colleges, yet because they are typically considered 'contractors', they do not receive even the minimum labor law protection that a McDonald's employee gets. Adjuncts do not have minimum wage protections. Adjuncts do not have discrimination protections. Adjuncts do not have safe working environment protections. Adjuncts do not have overtime protections or even protection from working a 7 day work week. Adjuncts can be fired for any reason including those prohibited by law for most other employees and do not receive unemployment insurance. Adjuncts even have to pay their own social security!

  And these are the people teaching our next generation. Isn't it time we at least give them the minimum of labor law protections?

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  1 comment for Idea: Give faculty same protections McDonald's employees get!

  Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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  Affordability/Financial Aid »

  Improved adjunct pay / insurance

  How about treating adjunct / contingent faculty with some respect and equal pay for equal work? The lack of decent pay and insurance for those who teach the majority of CC courses is a glaring oversight at best, but more likely an egregious exploitation of labor that continues unchecked in most places.

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  Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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  Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »

  Include faculty in this discussion

  I suggest that you invite both full-time and part-time community college faculty to this summit. How can you have an honest and fully-rounded discussion without representation from those of us "in the trenches"?

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  Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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  Increasing Graduation Rates »

  Faculty Representation Needed at this Summit!

  Where is faculty representation?! Why are there no faculty members attending this summit? I suggest you have faculty representation - and that you also have ADJUNCT faculty representation since adjuncts account for half of the workforce teaching community college students. I'm so disappointed to see that Jill Biden, a faculty member herself, neglected to include faculty in this event. It is not too late. I implore ...more »

  Where is faculty representation?! Why are there no faculty members attending this summit? I suggest you have faculty representation - and that you also have ADJUNCT faculty representation since adjuncts account for half of the workforce teaching community college students. I'm so disappointed to see that Jill Biden, a faculty member herself, neglected to include faculty in this event. It is not too late. I implore you to include faculty!!

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  3 comments for Idea: Faculty Representation Needed at this Summit!

  Submitted by ikkinh 2 years ago

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  Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »

  Get rid of professors with consistently poor reviews

  At my college, there are several professors that consistently receive poor reviews by the students based on their teaching style, clarity, performance, etc. However, they are kept on staff, regardless of how students go out of their way to avoid taking their classes. We have one professor that is the ONLY education professor at our school, and the students majoring in education despise her because she gives unclear ...more »

  At my college, there are several professors that consistently receive poor reviews by the students based on their teaching style, clarity, performance, etc. However, they are kept on staff, regardless of how students go out of their way to avoid taking their classes. We have one professor that is the ONLY education professor at our school, and the students majoring in education despise her because she gives unclear instructions, unreasonable deadlines, does not adequately explain the material, and refuses to answer questions related to those subjects. Many of them have chosen to change majors rather than continue with her classes. Why are the schools keeping these professors? It seems like they are wasting money that could be better used by hiring competent professors.

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  Submitted by amanda_4706 2 years ago

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  Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »

  Faculty Respect

  Ditch the idea that community colleges are remedial high schools. Then pay the teachers professional salaries and drop the demeaning adjunct arrangements. Then show them respect: don't fire them when students complain that a teacher has not promised everybody an A. Allow people teaching composition to throw out the tendentious anthologies of dull and dated "relevant" essays and choose literary texts to stir students' ...more »

  Ditch the idea that community colleges are remedial high schools. Then pay the teachers professional salaries and drop the demeaning adjunct arrangements. Then show them respect: don't fire them when students complain that a teacher has not promised everybody an A. Allow people teaching composition to throw out the tendentious anthologies of dull and dated "relevant" essays and choose literary texts to stir students' imaginations, enrich their minds and vocabularies, and help them learn to READ before asking them to write.

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  3 comments for Idea: Faculty Respect

  Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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  Increasing Graduation Rates »

  Relationship of Faculty make-up on Sudent Support

  I teach PT at a community college, and like most PT instructors, am very poorly compensated for my time. My institution keeps replacing retiring FT instructors with PT instructors because this makes more 'financial sense' so there is little opportunity for me to become either a) a permanent PT employee who is integrated into the college or b) a FT professor. It is a labor caste system. While it may make good short-term ...more »

  I teach PT at a community college, and like most PT instructors, am very poorly compensated for my time. My institution keeps replacing retiring FT instructors with PT instructors because this makes more 'financial sense' so there is little opportunity for me to become either a) a permanent PT employee who is integrated into the college or b) a FT professor. It is a labor caste system.

  While it may make good short-term 'financial sense' to the college, there are severe consequences such as: PTers are very little motivated to be good teachers since there is little chance for promotion, we can't support students like they need in order to graduate b/c we have to work a second job to earn a living wage, we are not tenured so we do not have academic freedom, etc.

  This 'financial reasoning' is a short-term strategy that brings long-term negative consequences for students.

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  4 comments for Idea: Relationship of Faculty make-up on Sudent Support

  Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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