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Maricopa Community Colleges' adjunct faculty teach the majority of the evening sessions and support a substantial number of distant-learning courses, allowing our community college system to meet a wide spectrum of needs. They come to Maricopa with broad backgrounds and experiences in, often times, very specialized fields. MCLI continues to explore channels by which to further reach out to our adjunct faculty members to ensure that they receive continuous professional development and the recognition that they so much deserve.
Rio Salado College's Adjunct Faculty Recognition Process
Eight hundred adjunct faculty members teach the majority of the courses to Rio Salado College's 36,000 students taking credit courses.
Rio Salado College's efforts to maintain quality teaching and learning with adjunct faculty focus on recruitment, retention, evaluation, and recognition. The college deliberately commits considerable time and resources on support mechanisms for the operational aspects of teaching so that adjunct faculty can spend more of their time on teaching and learning activities. For the past nine years the "Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Recognition" process has been an important part of this commitment.
The current "Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Recognition" process includes the following: faculty leadership nomination, testimonies and evaluations from students, a letter of recognition from the Deans, a letter from the President to the adjunct faculty member's employers, a photo with the President and Deans, a celebration event, a video of the adjunct faculty with their comments, and peer recognition. This process honors the adjunct faculty members for their excellence in teaching, learning, and assessment.
Ongoing recognition of the fine work of the adjunct faculty occurs at the fall and spring Adjunct Faculty Learning Experience where college-wide updates, collaborative activities, and discipline dialogues take place. Also, for the past nine years, Rio Salado College has honored its outstanding Adjunct Faculty members at various occasions, including a highlight page in Rio Salado College's graduation program.
Dr. Patricia Case, faculty member and Faculty Developer, strongly believes that "the systems approach that we have for supporting and recognizing adjunct faculty truly helps us maintain quality in teaching and learning. Our adjunct faculty know they are an important part of Rio Salado College." Pat was pleased to receive the following note from one of this year's Outstanding Adjunct Faculty, "I strive for quality teaching and learning, and this is certainly one fulfillment of that. It made me feel appreciated and important, as well as noticed. The total impact is I hope for another recognition next year, so I guess that means I will be working even harder."
Adjunct Faculty Professional Growth Program
The MCLI continues to administer the Adjunct Faculty Professional Growth Program. This program offers funding support for Maricopa part-time faculty who wish to participate in professional development opportunities such as seminars, workshops, and conferences. The goal of the program is to assist adjunct faculty to increase their knowledge and skills, enhance their teaching role, and upgrade their professional skills.
This program is available to individuals employed as adjunct instructors by one or more of the Maricopa Community Colleges. Each applicant can be reimbursed for a maximum of $500 per fiscal year. During the fiscal year 2002-2003, a total of 206 proposals were funded, which supported 193 adjunct faculty members.
To learn more about Adjunct Faculty Professional Growth program eligibility requirements and how to apply for funding, visit:
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/afpg/
Other Adjunct Faculty News
"Promoting Learning and Critical Thinking" was the theme of this year's fall Adjunct Faculty Conference that was hosted by the Adjunct Faculty Association (AFA) and sponsored by the Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction, Academic Affairs Division. This conference was held at Scottsdale Community College on October 25, 2003.
Dr. Mark Milliron, President and CEO for the League for Innovation in the Community College, provided the keynote speech. Conference attendees participated in seminars and activities, inclusive of topics on internet plagiarism, mentoring, and instructional technologies. In addition to providing professional development experiences, this yearly conference was also a key opportunity that allowed adjunct faculty to network with other faculty members across campuses and across disciplines.
 Patricia Case, Ph.D, Rio Salado College
Lynn Jennings, mcli
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