Out of Sight--Out of Mind: The Importance of Integrating Adjunct Faculty into an Educational Administration Department.

Many colleges and universities use "adjunct faculty" as a means to address increasingly unpredictable student populations, questionable funding formulas, and tightened education budgets. Initial evidence suggests, however, that the practice of using them contains flaws. This research was conducted to determine existing circumstances of adjunct faculty members' preparation and integration into the educational administration department of a Midwestern regional university and, using resulting data, design an adjunct faculty integration model that would strengthen the educational administration program for faculty and students. Survey responses from 20 adjunct professors were used to generate qualitative and quantitative data that were analyzed statistically. Findings indicate that the majority of adjunct professors feel a vested interest in strong, practical training programs for building- and district-level leadership. Communication between adjunct and department professors, however, is commonly minimal. Adjunct faculty members are not always given information to help students understand university or program protocol, to maintain consistency in program structure, or to present ways of demonstrating competencies in student performance. Strengthening collaboration between department and adjunct professors can enhance faculty integration, and improving communication can increase and enhance the exchange of ideas and information. These two elements will form the basis of an adjunct faculty integration model. (Contains 12 references.) (RT)