Expanding Opportunities and Community for Non- Tenure-Track Faculty at Washtenaw Community College

Washtenaw Community College (WCC) is located in southeast Michigan and enrolls around 18,000 students per year. The Part-Time & Adjunct Faculty Institute (PTFI) serves roughly 750 non-tenure-track faculty (NTTF) at WCC. Although WCC has a history of supporting NTTF, part-time faculty still lacked opportunities in areas of community building and professional development (PD). The creation of the PTFI originated from an institution-wide strategic plan that placed Professional Development and Organizational Health as WCC’s top priority and more specifically, to provide rewards and incentives to increase faculty participation in PD. With the combined support of senior-level administrators and the Faculty Professional Development Committee, the PTFI has experienced notable success and institutionalization.