>From the December 1, 2000 Chronicle of Higher Education
Study Shows Colleges' Dependence on Their Part-Time Instructors ... documents the low pay and lack of benefits for those off the tenure track
By ANA MARIE COX
After relying for years on anecdotal evidence and outdated statistics, the debate over the use of part-time faculty members took on new urgency last week with the release of a report filled with hard data. It suggested an even darker view of the situation than conventional wisdom supposed, showing that nontenure-track instructors make up almost half of the teaching staff in many humanities and social-science disciplines.
The report, based on a survey sponsored by a coalition of 25 disciplinary associations, also said that part-time and adjunct professors receive far less pay and far fewer benefits than their peers.