Adjunct Faculty Bill of Rights

TN Legislature, Tennessee Board of Regents, Current and Former TBR Institutions

In the Tennessee Board of Regents system, the statewide rate of pay for adjunct faculty hasn't changed since 1998. At a majority of colleges and universities in Tennessee, adjunct wages have remained extremely low and/or stagnant, all while colleges and universities turn to adjunct and contingent labor more frequently.

How low is the pay? For an adjunct professor teaching a full load, 4 classes a semester, the current maximum rate in TBR is $700 a credit hour or $2100/class—which amounts to $16,800 a year. As a result, most adjunct faculty are teaching overloads, and even then they struggle to get by.

Adjuncts are the backbone of our institutions of learning, and at the forefront of the first year student’s college experience. They play a critical role in guiding them to succeed. This lofty task needs to be respected, and treated accordingly! Students also need to know their instructors are compensated fairly so that they might be more inspired to join the noble profession. Adjunct working conditions are student learning conditions! Sign on to the Adjunct Faculty Bill of Rights to tell our lawmakers and administrators that the time for change is now.



To: TN Legislature, Tennessee Board of Regents, Current and Former TBR Institutions
From: [Your Name]

We call on legislators, trustees, and administrators to uphold their ethical responsibility to be just, fair, and equitable to all higher education employees. We are educational professionals performing much of the instructional work at a university, and deserve:

1. Fair Compensation - Minimum pay of $1000 per credit hour, and a transparent pay scale.
2. Regular and Prompt Pay Periods - Often, adjuncts are not getting a paycheck until after teaching for 6 to 10 weeks. We should not have to wait this long to be paid for the work we are doing.
3. Course Prep Fee - If a course that an adjunct has signed a contract for is cancelled within a week of its start date, the adjunct should be compensated for the work they've done to prepare the course.
4. Job Security - Longer term contracts