On that day, I answered a national survey for 'part-time' faculty at 4 year institutions. A great many of the questions were about office space and health benefits and work load. The usual. The last question, however, was an open response, and I still find true what it was I had to say that day. It sums up precisely what I have thought of being a "part-time temporary faculty" member for years, and I cannot imagine that changing much in the future, though I can imagine my performance changing as my family continues to grow.
While I enjoy what I do (teaching composition and rhetoric, and ethics) and my colleagues with whom I work, there is an inherent dismissal of my abilities as an instructor and scholar because I do not have a terminal degree. The consensus, even among my very thoughtful and supportive colleagues, is that no amount of reading professional journals, doing professional research, having professional experience, attending professional conferences, participating in professional development, or commitment to my profession, my department, my colleagues, my institution, or my students will ever result in my value as a scholar or professor equating that of one who simply has a terminal degree. This consistent conceptualization of part-time faculty is personally demeaning and professional degrading. It discourages part-time faculty from participating in precisely those professional activities listed above, and undermines the unity of our department, as well as the quality of teaching amongst part-time faculty.
For me, the offering of tangible benefits like heath and life insurance and retirement, etc. as well as material resources like private office space or parking, pales in comparison with the value of intangible respect from my colleagues of my skill and merit as a scholar and instructor. If I could change any one aspect of the treatment of part-time faculty, it would be equitable esteem before the more tangible benefits.
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