Abstract
This article analyzes the structural, financial, and ethical dimensions of employing part-time and temporary faculty in university theatre programs. Based on institutional experience, it identifies both the practical necessity and systemic inequities inherent in contingent staffing models. The discussion outlines the benefits of such arrangements—access to specialized expertise, curricular flexibility, and expanded production capacity—alongside their drawbacks, including low compensation, lack of benefits, administrative instability, and risks of exploitation. The author argues that part-time staffing, while often indispensable, must be managed through flexible budgeting, administrative support, and professional respect for adjunct personnel. Examples from departmental practice demonstrate how increased autonomy in fiscal and personnel decisions can transform adjunct employment from a liability into a productive partnership. The article concludes that contingent faculty appointments, though symptomatic of larger resource shortages, can enhance departmental vitality when guided by institutional flexibility, transparency, and a genuine professional commitment to inclusion and fairness.
Recommended Citation
Behringer, Fred
(1987)
"The Use and Abuse of Part-Time and Temporary Faculty,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 59, Article 27.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol59/iss1/27
