Assessing Part-Time Faculty Job Satisfaction in Continuing Higher Education: Implications for the Profession

Keywords

higher education, job satisfaction, part time faculty

Abstract

Continuing educators know how much they depend on qualified part-time faculty for the success of their programs: no part-time faculty, no program. This dependence on part-time faculty has increased in recent years, and it will continue to increase in the future. From 1975 to 2003, the proportion of part-time faculty increased from 30% to 46% of all faculty; tenure-track faculty decreased from 57% to 35% (Umbach, 2007, p. 93). Another report by the Southern Regional Educational Board forecasts that "the nation will need 32% more college faculty positions (both full- and part-time) by 2014 than in 2004. That's one of the highest U.S. job growth rates... The overall U.S. job growth rate is projected to be 13 percent" (Umbach, 2007, p. 93). Furthermore, "the balance of part-time and full-time faculty will continue to shift toward the part-time faculty as university administrators try to make do with tight budgets... " (Umbach, 2007, p. 93).

Original Publication Citation

Hoyt, J., Howell, S., Glines, L., Johnson, C., Spackman, J., Thompson, C., and Rudd, C. (2008).Assessing part-time faculty job satisfaction in continuing higher education: Implications for the profession. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 56(1), 27-38.(Recipient of the 2008 Marlowe Froke Outstanding Publication Award by The Association for Continuing Higher Education.)

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2008

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/8480

Publisher

The Journal of Continuing Higher Education

Language

English

College

David O. McKay School of Education

Department

Instructional Psychology and Technology

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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