The report is based on a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. A total of 3,395 post-secondary institutions were surveyed during the 1998-99 academic year.
According to the report, part-time faculty members constitute 43 percent of the faculty body at college and universities. Part-time faculty members taught 27 percent of undergraduate courses.
And several UNC-Chapel Hill professors say national budget cuts in public education are prompting the push for more part-time faculty members.
The study also found that from 1993-98 there was a reduction in the number of full-time faculty members at 40 percent of the institutions surveyed.
But while many students lament classes taught by teaching assistants and associate professors, the 16 UNC-system schools have more full-time faculty than the national average.
Betsy Brown, UNC-system vice president for faculty support, said the trend toward more part-time faculty is not quite as striking among system schools. "We've had some increase but not like the national increase," she said. "In the past 10 years there has been about a 22 percent increase in the hiring of part-time professors, but that number is only 6 percent for schools in the UNC-system. Our numbers are considerably lower than the average."
UNC-CH journalism Professor Chuck Stone said the current economic crisis makes hiring part-time faculty a more pragmatic solution. He said does not feel threatened by the increase in part-time faculty members because he has tenure.
But other faculty members do not share his sense of security. Sue Estroff, chairwoman of the UNC Faculty Council, said budget crunches make it difficult for universities to meet the pay demands of tenured staff.
Estroff said that hiring part-time faculty members alleviates the economic strain from budget cuts. "Currently one-third of faculty body is made up of full-time non-tenured track, and 53 percent of them are women," she said.
