Drawing on nationally representative quantitative data from the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty, qualitative fieldwork, and the lived experiences of administrators and faculty members, this volume provides a variety of perspectives on part time community college faculty. The multiple perspectives are intended to offer a complex and conflicted picture of community college part-time faculty, as there are no easy answers to the questions that arise from colleges' heavy reliance on their service. This volume seeks to encourage discussion and debate on the topic, update and advance the scholarship on part-time faculty and to highlight best practices and useful examples that can help two-year colleges continue to play a vital role in American higher education.

Community colleges are the only sector of public, nonprofit postsecondary education in the United states where part-time faculty outnumber full-time faculty. This has significant implication for community college administrators who are responsible for recruiting, hiring, and supporting part-time faculty; for college, district, and state leaders who help set policies regarding the use of part-timers; and for all part-time faculty who seek to receive equitable treatment as they strive to enhance the quality of education for community college students.

This is the 140th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Community Colleges. Essential to the professional libraries of presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other leaders in today's open-door institutions, New Directions for Community Colleges provides expert guidance in meeting the challenges of their distinctive and expanding educational mission.