Our group researches issues to identifies the appropriate
channels for communication and raises awareness about the need for adjunct
equity. Here are the top reasons adjuncts need salary and benefit equity:
● Annual before-tax income minimum that’s required to live in Boulder County: $20,428. Source: “Living Wage Calculator for Boulder County, Colorado.” Poverty in America: Living Wage Calculator.
Web. 29 May 2012.
● Annual average, before-tax, income for adjunct faculty teaching at Colorado’s community
colleges: $15,500.
● Adjunct faculty comprise an average of 71% of instructors.
● Adjunct faculty teach 2/3 of all courses.
● Adjunct faculty provide the majority of instruction to more than 162,000 students
Source: Colorado Community College System. Web. 22 May 2012.
● CCCS comprises Colorado’s largest system of higher education. As part-time faculty
provided the majority of instruction … it can be argued that part-time faculty have the
greatest impact on student learning outcomes in the CCCS, and therefore on student
learning in all higher education in Colorado.
● By 2003, full-time, tenured positions at all colleges and universities had dropped to 24
percent. This so-called ‘seismic shift’ in education is expected to continue.
● Approximately 49% of adjuncts would prefer to teach full-time. Factors Affecting Part-Time Faculty Job Satisfaction in the Colorado Community College System. State U, 2009. Ft. Collins: CSU. Web. 22 May 2012.
● Colorado’s community colleges have a $3 billion impact on the state each year.
● Taxpayers receive a $1.70 return on every dollar spent.
● Students see an 11% return on their investment. Source: Economic Modeling Specialists Int. Economic Contribution of Colorado Community
Colleges. n.d. Web. 22 May 2012.
● The shrinking ranks of full-time faculty [now 29% within Colorado’s community colleges]
must carry the weight of institutional services.
● The marginalization of adjunct faculty [the faculty majority in Colorado’s community
colleges] denigrates the informed teacher-scholar model central to American higher
education by limiting student access to teacher-mentors, limiting adjunct
professional development opportunities, and limiting the ability of adjunct faculty to
shape curricula.
