Adjuncts and Mission: Maintaining Distinctives in an Era of Part-Time Faculty

Abstract

Adjunct faculty members are teaching an increasing percentage of courses in higher education. Consequently, adjunct rather than full-time faculty members are increasingly responsible for the transmission of their institutions’ missions to students. Are adjunct faculty members successful in transmitting mission to students? In Christian colleges and universities, are adjunct faculty members capable of appropriately integrating faith into their classrooms? The purpose of this paper is to review existing research and to establish an agenda for further research in this area, particularly as it relates to Christian colleges and universities.