Selecting courses, perhaps one of the first things a student may look for is who teaches a particular class, but every semester new names dot the course bulletin. Some courses are taught by professionals in a certain field who just come to Brandeis to teach one class a week. Others, however, teach one class here, and then another at a different university. According to an article published in the New York Times in August, the number of part time professors has been on the rise in four-year institutions. Currently 43 percent of all the faculty are part time. The Department of Education compiled data from 1993 to 1998, revealing that approximately half of all colleges took some action to reduce full-time faculty in effort to replace them with part-time instructors. The main reason for the shift is financial; it costs colleges and universities less to hire part-time instructors than full-time ones.

Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences Elaine Wong said, however, that she believes Brandeis is hiring fewer part-time professors then in the past.

Dean of Arts and Sciences, Jessie Ann Owens cites the economic recession as the reason why more universities across the nation are increasing their employment of part-time professors. "Higher education is under incredible fiscal stress," Owens said. According to Owens, a few years ago, a stronger economy allowed the government to subsidize educational needs, whereas now universities must rely on their own private funds. Owens said many colleges and universities are having trouble finding this money to hire full-time faculty.

"(If) we need a particular course, but we don't need the whole faculty for that area . it (hiring part-time professors) allows us to add curriculum enhancement to the core faculty," Owens said. Owens said she believes the expertise from a working professional who can share their employment experience through teaching in the classroom is beneficial to the students. In addition, she said, part-timers are also used when full-time professors go on sabbatical and when there is high demand for a specific course. She said the University also hires part-timers to teach these sections, rather than not offering them when a professor is on leave.

Benefits of part-timers

Provost Mel Bernstein said part-time instructors working as professionals can share their expertise with students. "It's a way to be able to make use with talent outside, and somebody will come in and offer specialized courses," Bernstein said. "It's very much a need of adapting students to their (professor's expertise)."

Also, Owens said part-timers receive their own benefits. "Brandeis has a very generous benefit arrangement (for our part-time professors) . we arrange offices for all our faculty and are trying to do right by our part-time faculty," she said.

"Brandeis treats its part-time faculty better than at other universities," Wong said. Wong said full-time faculty and students respect the part-time professors because they have made contributions to the University.

Professor Mary Burstin (SPAN), the teacher of two undergraduate classes, who came to Brandeis last year, is one part-time professor who said she feels she has earned respect from the Brandeis administration. "As a part-time professor, I am treated very well. I feel very comfortable in my department and in Brandeis in general," she said.

It is less expensive to do that (hire part-timers) because these are faculty members that are not asked to do things all other faculty have to do . it does provide additional flexibility to the university, Bernstein said. Bernstein also said he felt Brandeis to be a competitive employer in in regard to the wages offered the part-time professors.

Negative aspects of part-timers

Although the students, perma-temps themselves, and the University may benefit from part-timers, there is also a possible downside. If a student has too many courses with a part-time faculty member . then that student isn't going to have them to turn to, Owens said. Owens emphasized if students, upon graduating from Brandeis, need a recommendation for a job or graduate school, he or she will have no one to ask if his or her courses were taught by perma-temps.

Also, according to Bernstein, part-timers will not develop a long-term relationships with the faculty. "All universities need to be committed to faculty having long-term relationships with the University . high quality institutions need to have stable, continuous faculty that are part of the long-term connection,", Bernstein said. Bernstein said he described this group of professors as ones who have tenure.

"If they (professors) are teaching more, they can make greater contributions to the University," Wong said.

Burstin said she also feels apprehensive. "I wouldn't mind working part-timer if one would have guaranteed classes each semester. It's very stressful not to know for sure if there are going to be enough courses or not."

Future of part-timers

Regarding the university's continuing counteraction of the national trend, Owens said she hopes that in the future Brandeis will reduce the number of part-time professors and make an effort to treat them better.

But, according to Bernstein, Brandeis is not unique in its situation. A lot of institutions are confronting (hiring part-time professors), and trying to balance the needs of an institution, Bernstein said.