Investing in Part-time Faculty at Montgomery College

Jordan Harper

Montgomery College (MC)'s The Institute for Part-Time Faculty Engagement and Support (IPTFES) was created in 2015 and pioneered by the late Dr. Antonio “Tango” Thomas. IPTFES was created to expand, improve and build upon policies and practices that support part-time faculty (PTF), which MC recognizes as essential members of the campus community and integral to the student success mission. In the ITPFES’s first four years (2015-2019), they were able to create orientation and on-boarding sessions for new part- time faculty, establish resource centers across all their campuses, and establish a professional development fund to compensate part-time faculty who are trying to improve their teaching. Since their 2019 Delphi Award finalist recognition, the IPTFES has taken on new leadership and expanded their supports for part-time faculty. In what follows, the process the IPTFES used to create their supports is highlighted in more detail, and newer services, programs and supports the institute is offering are foregrounded.