I'd like to follow up on one of Tom Bodkin's points: free credit hours to
regular faculty, and adjuncts too, as he proposes.

Right now regular faculty have a fringe benefit of free credit hours that
we don't, or seldom, use.  If we made a deliberate effort to enroll in a
course once a term or year, would that not generate additional state
income?

I would be pleased to have other faculty in my classes, if they are
interested.  The few adults and senior citizens I've had before provided a
broader perspective and a better appreciation of many topics than our
traditional students.  A few of my colleagues over the years have allowed
me to sit in on parts of their courses, and I've thoroughly enjoyed and
benefited from the new information and skills, including insights from
classmates who previously were in my students.

Tom has already mentioned benefits to students (See paragraph 2 below).

I'm curious to know how much additional funding for UTC's budget would be
generated if: (a) 25% of us took a physical education class once a year for
1 credit hour?  (b) 10% of the regular faculty took a 3 hr course once a
year in a related or unrelated area of interest, e.g. music appreciation,
art history, political science, Southern literature?

Personally, I forsee possible developments of cooperative learning, future
team teaching, and other long-range benefits that I think could even
outweigh an increase in our "budget pie."

Maurice Edwards


---------Prior Email by Tom Bodkin--------------------
>Not only do I support a pay increase for adjunct faculty, but also other
>benefits such as free credit hours and a prestigious award.  How many know
>that full time faculty and staff can take free credit hours, nine hours
>I'm told, yet adjunct faculty do not get free credit hours or even a lousy
>discount off the tuition?  How many full time faculty or staff truly avail
>themselves of this opportunity, or better yet, have the time?  I'm sure it
>sounds nice in the recruiting speech though.
>
>Who would benefit by encouraging adjuncts to take courses at the
>university?  The answer here is students.  When the professor grows, so
>does the student.
>
>Would the university lose money by giving away credit hours to adjuncts?
>The answer is no.  Again, it is the university who would benefit through
>professional development of the adjunct, who then passes that on to
>his/her students.  How many adjuncts would take advantage of this?  Some,
>but not all.  I think day or night jobs, where applicable, might prevent
>many adjuncts from taking full advantage of this benefit.  I certainly
>couldn't fit 9 hours into my schedule, and realistically could only fit
>about one every calendar year.  Is 1 or 2 free classes a year asking too
>much?  Is that really a loss of revenue for the university?  Please don't
>tell me this whole argument can be boiled down to the bean count.  Someone
>would have a difficult time of presenting enough evidence to convince me
>otherwise.
>
>The last item I would like to propose is designed to boost the morale of
>adjunct faculty at UTC.  I propose a campus-wide Adjunct Faculty of the
>Year Award.  A brief search of the UTC website found only one such award,
>copied here:  Chantana Lane, Adjunct Instructor of Physics Winner of the
>1991-1992 Best Adjunct Faculty Award for Physics Teaching.  Is the Physics
>Department the only department to formally and publicly recognize their
>adjuncts?  Perhaps this award came from outside the university?  I do not
>know the details surrounding this adjunct and her award, and
>congratulations to her, but I think she would agree that there are many,
>many other adjuncts who deserve to be recognized.  Recognized by whom, you
>ask?  I think modeling it after other UTC faculty award programs would be
>sufficient; nominations could come from any student, faculty, or staff,
>accompanied by a written statement of why this person is deserving.  A
>joint faculty/student/staff committee could make decisions.  The deserving
>adjunct could be given book money, gift certificates, or just plain old
>fashion money.  Whatever the award, the adjunct gets recognized at
>Commencement, in front of their peers, and takes home something more than
>money could ever buy.  Plus, it helps the adjunct’Äôs CV, which again
>makes both the university and her students winners.
>
>I think a prestigious adjunct faculty award, coupled with a pay increase
>and a credit hour benefit, would insure the continued superior quality of
>teaching for which UTC adjuncts have come to be known.
>
>Respectfully Submitted,
>
>Tom Bodkin, M.A.
>Anthropology 412
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