Advocacy and Equal Access Opportunities for Non-Tenure Track Faculty at Middlesex Community College

Middlesex Community College (MCC) recognizes that student achievement is intertwined with faculty success, which of course includes adjunct faculty. MCC has a history of including non-tenure-track faculty (NTTF) in consideration of past initiatives, such as opening the availability of some Professional Development (PD), workshops and stipend opportunities. However, after two accreditation reports in 2013 indicated a need to better integrate part-time faculty into the college, MCC took actionable steps to make improvements in these areas. MCC developed a two part program that 1) equalized the access of all professional development (PD) opportunities and 2) established a dedicated Adjunct Liaison position to ensure part-time faculty had dedicated support and someone to advocate on their behalf. Over the years, MCC has made considerable efforts to include adjuncts in the college’s priorities on increasing persistence and retention rates, bridging achievement gaps and addressing accreditation issues.