The American Federation of Teacher web site has a chart of postsecondary instructional workforce, by employment type.
The AFT estimates that there are 1,333,049 instructors/professors/teachers and such.
Just 30% of them are full-time, tenure/tenure-track faculty.
Full-time nontenure-track faculty make up 15%.
Part-time/adjunct faculty make up 35% and graduate employees make up 20%.
Some think the absence of a sufficient number of full-time faculty members is a major problem with higher education.
Having graduate students doing the teaching exasperates it.
I am not sure I agree.
Paying graduate students is equivalent to having glorified tutors working with large groups in a classroom. Many grad students can relate better to their classroom because they are closer in age and, for many, just finished the class themselves.
There is a breakdown, however, when full-time faculty are paid but send their graduate assistants to teach their class for them.
One-third of the teaching field is part-time/adjunct. It is a tough life being an adjunct. Many of them have to supplement their income by actually working at the job they are teaching about. What is wrong with that?
Tenured/full-time profs should be require to 'do time' in the real world as well.
Not all professor positions need to be tenured track. In fact - I don't think any job should be guaranteed for life, none at all.
If the chart is off kilter, it is because one-third of the faculty population doesn't have to keep working to ensure they will have a job next quarter.
What do you think?
Bill Belew on Business in Asia
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