Post Classifieds
Additional faculty will benefit students
By The Record Staff
On October 17, 2012
Buffalo State is in the process of increasing the overall number of full-time faculty it
employs in an effort to improve the academic experience for students.
Over the next three years, the college plans to use funds provided by the State
University of New York's rational tuition plan to hire a net of 30 new full-time
professors.
The administration hopes, by increasing the percent of credit hours taught by full-
time faculty, this will decrease the dependence on adjunct faculty to fill in the gaps.
Chances are good that if you've spent some time at Buffalo State, you've taken a
couple courses from a part-time professor. Chances are also good that you thought
they effectively conveyed course information.
There are advantages to both adjunct and full-time professors.
Adjunct faculty are experienced professionals who work in the field they are
teaching about. They can offer students real-world information where some
professors may seem out of touch. They can also serve as a student's first
professional encounter and their connections can lead to internship or job
opportunities that are unique to their experiences in their respective fields.
While the experience of adjuncts brings a unique, real-world perspective into the
classroom, it often means they aren't as accessible outside the classroom as full time
faculty.
Few adjunct, if any, have office hours or office phone numbers and any other
communication is dependent on the condition they don't have a prior commitment.
As anyone who's worked two jobs knows, this extra time can be hard to come by.
That's not to say they aren't dedicated, but by the very nature of their employment
they are somewhat limited to engage in certain aspects of academia.
Full-time faculty on the other hand serve as advisers, mentors and counsel to
research and scholarship. They are typically on campus five days a week, making
it easy to pop in on them and seek in-person guidance without a scheduled
appointment.
While these things may not directly affect the classroom experience, they are
ultimately important to students and the college as a whole.
Full-time teachers can offer more time to the student-professor relationship. They
usually have some field experience, but their time in the classroom allows them to
work and interact better with students.
Adjuncts, though, should continue to have a home at our college. Their in-field
experience and connections can prove invaluable to students in experience-based
fields like, say, journalism.
We hope the increase in full-time faculty will lead to new academic opportunities at
Buffalo State, but we also acknowledge the need for adjunct professors to continue
to bring their unique field experience to the classroom.
As the school continues to grow, the status of the faculty will surely influence how
well the college will be able to serve the needs of its students.
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