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Faculty benefit from the New Deal for Students because...
Faculty are working hard every single day to give students their all. We have faced various challenges over the years, including different administrations who had differing priorities, the enormous influx of students after the 2007-08 recession, the disruption caused by remote learning during the pandemic, and most recently the precipitous decline of student enrollment. We miss having our buildings and hallways bustling with student energy. We want the rich academic discussions from 
classrooms full of eager learners.
Faculty have much to gain from this New Deal for Students which we hope will help lead to student enrollment remaining solid into the future, and we know that having more full-time faculty affords us more critical time with students.
After teaching accounting as an adjunct for four years, I had the good fortunate of being hired into a full-time line in September 2022. The difference has been significant. I have been able to spend so many more hours advising students in office hours, before and after class, and in the Academic Advising & Mentoring Center.
I'm able to build mentoring relationships with students in ways that were not possible as an adjunct. This is imperative in the field of business, where I work so hard to help students network and gain valuable internships. Now, the students know where to find me, what classes I'll be teaching, and what clubs I'm advising. Having the time to work with students beyond the classroom has been—by far—the most dramatic and professionally gratifying change from being an adjunct faculty member to a full-time faculty member.
— John Capurso, MBA, CPA, Instructor of Accounting, Ammerman Campus
Enhanced
relationships
with students
We love getting to know our students and their stories! They are inspirational; it's what we love about teaching at a community college.
Establishing relationships with students takes time. It's a process that cannot be rushed but one which faculty enjoy since we believe that education is fundamentally about connecting with others in the process of teaching and learning, sharing, discovering, and growing. With more full-time faculty lines, work outside of the classroom—most importantly in areas of curriculum development and ensuring that accreditation standards are met—is distributed more effectively and that better enables us to spend more time with students.
Enriched
professional
development
The world of higher education is constantly changing. Things come at us fast. Were many educators talking about ChatGPT before last November? Faculty need to be constantly learning to stay abreast of advancements in our disciplines and areas of expertise as well as changes in technology. Faculty enjoy attending professional development programs at SCCC and area colleges as well as at state and national conferences. Professional development is what keeps us up to date and effective in our roles.
Achieving this New Deal's goals would mean more time for research, conference presentations, advancing scholarship in our disciplines in ways meaningful for community colleges—including the scholarship of teaching at a community college—and simply becoming more fully embedded in our disciplines and areas of expertise.
Improved
morale
A strong sense of morale is critical in education. Morale is the spirit of education. It's the level of enthusiasm, pride, and sense of common purpose in the college we have dedicated our careers to.
In tough times, we need a solid esprit de corps. More full-time lines will absolutely improve the morale of the faculty as it's a significant gesture of belief in the work we do. In addition, full-time faculty collaborate with our adjunct colleagues on a regular, frequent basis. Improving those connections will help everyone's morale and sense of commitment to the college.
More full-time employment opportunities for adjunct colleagues
Our adjunct faculty at SCCC work incredibly hard. Their work is part time but their hearts are in it full time. Some of our adjunct faculty are here because they are seeking a full-time line, and we know that they deserve that opportunity. More full-time faculty lines provide more opportunities for them to apply.
Opening up more full-time lines to our deserving adjunct colleagues benefits everyone, since they are experienced, they know our courses, and they know our policies and protocols. In the past decade, nearly 60% of the full-time lines at the college were filled by adjunct faculty—and we'd love to see that percentage continue to rise.
