Academic Researchers Speak

The Hybrid and Dualistic Identity of Full-Time Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

“…Additional paradoxes include high levels of attachment to faculty work and life but consternation about the conditions of their employment and the necessity of retaining a sense of self-worth, which is at odds with the preconceived notions about nontenure faculty that demean their value to the academy (Shaker, 2008). On one hand, FTNT faculty feel marginalized, desire respect, lack a peer networking group on campus, and are frustrated by the dearth of role clarity; on the other hand, they find collegiality in their collaborative work and praise the benefits of being part of the academic community (Bergom, Waltman, August, & Hollenshead, 2010). These contradictions and inconsistencies coexist within FTNT faculty and, as well, within academe.…”

The Changing Face of Employment at Research Universities

“…These problematic trends are further corroborated by Bergom, Waltman, August, and Hollenshead (2010), who found that none of the five institutions they studied had reported the existence of contingent research faculty in their Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data System (IPEDS) data, though the authors conducted interviews and focus groups with these very faculty. They concluded that research faculty are even less likely to be known on their own campuses or reported as part of institutional and federal data, expressing concern that exact numbers remain a mystery and are likely underestimated.…”

“…Similarly, dental schools have doubled the number of research faculty employed off the tenure track (Howell et al, 2010). In one of the few large-scale studies on the subject, Bergom et al (2010) interviewed a total of 123 research faculty and found a number of glaring problems, including job insecurity from having to secure funding for their own salaries, an absence of clear and consistent policies governing appointment and advancement, and widespread feelings of second-class status. Having few peers with whom to network, these faculty sometimes attempt reaching out to permanent faculty colleagues, only to be ignored.…”

“…Having few peers with whom to network, these faculty sometimes attempt reaching out to permanent faculty colleagues, only to be ignored. Bergom et al (2010) argue the concerns of contingent research faculty essentially boil down to three persistently toxic working conditions: insecurity, invisibility, and isolation. The authors connect these to two observed employment trends: first, many research faculty are hired only after a series of postdoctoral appointments ultimately failed to yield a permanent offer.…”

Understanding the experience of full-time nontenure-track library faculty: Numbers, treatment, and job satisfaction

“…Similar results were found by Levin and Shaker, who found that FTNTT were satisfied with their day to day work of teaching, but not satisfied with the professional identity constructed for them by their institutions. (2011, p. 1480) While studies of subsets of non-tenure track faculty, like research faculty (Bergom, Waltman, August, & Hollenshead, 2010), education faculty (Garii & Peterson, 2006), technical and professional communication faculty (Meloncon & England, 2011), and sociology faculty (Spalter-Roth & Erskine, 2004) have been added to the literature over the years, so far very little literature exists on FTNTT faculty librarians. One relevant study surveyed a selected sample of 23 library administrators about their use of full-and part-time temporary faculty (Mayo, 2012).…”