Cover Story

Visiting Faculty: Are Their Numbers on the Rise?

by Jennifer Berkshire

They teach courses, advise students, even attend faculty meetings. But while their responsibilities may require a full-time commitment, these academics are employed on a strictly short-term basis. They are the visiting faculty, and when their terms end, after a semester, a year, or perhaps three years, they have no choice but to pack up their books, their bags and move on.

Visiting faculty are the nomads of higher education, says Rich Moser, national field representative of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the author of "The New Academic Labor System, Corporatization, and the Renewal of Academic Citizenship."

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Taking A Sabbatical South Of The Border: An Adjunct Retreats To Mexico

Taking a Sabbatical South of the Border: An Adjunct Retreats to Mexico

by Roy Freedman

Upon waking up in Guanajuato, Mexico for the very first time, on January 4, 2008, I planned to connect with my chosen Spanish-language academy (my anchor, so to speak, in a foreign land). My second priority was locating a suitable apartment for the next three-and-a-half months (more on that later). My third order of business was to find English teaching work. I knew I would have plenty of spare time, and I always need to feel productive. The extra money would help me breathe easier, as I did not yet know how to gauge my expenses. Finally, teaching would be an excellent opportunity to meet local people. I knew from previous experiences overseas how easy it would be to retreat into speaking English with fellow students studying Spanish, tourists and expatriates, many of them unable to speak much of the local language, and thus avoid the difficulty of communicating in another language.

Sure enough, from my Spanish-language school staff I found out about two private schools hiring native English speakers. From my landlady, a retired dance professor at the University of Guanajuato (20,000 to 30,000 students depending on the source), I got encouragement, an address, and names of people to approach about teaching work. And from Mitch, a friendly and very loquacious Oregonian, who seems to have found the revolving door at the Mexican-American border, a few more teaching contacts. He advised me that December/January and July/August see the highest turnovers of teachers, so I had arrived at a good time for finding work. It was welcome news.

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Posted: April 22nd, 2008

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