Adjuncts fight for a living wage

Picture a professor, and you probably don’t think of someone struggling to put food on the table. But that’s the reality for many adjunct faculty, with some earning the equivalent of a fast-food wage.  A recent study says more than 75% of professors are now adjunct. Are they being exploited and how do their working conditions impact higher education? Join us Thursday at 7:30pm ET. 

On this episode of The Stream, we'll speak to: 

John Curtis @jcurtisaaup
Director of Research and Public Policy, American Association of University Professors (AAUP)
aaup.org

Maria Maisto @MariaMaistoNFM
President, New Faculty Majority
newfacultymajority.org

Nicky Schildkraut @nickysaeun
Adjunct Professor
nickysaeun.com

Holden Thorp @holdenWU
Provost, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Washington University in St. Louis
provost.wustl.edu

What do you think? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below. 

Adjunct professors first emerged in the 1960's as a way to tackle a nationwide shortage of professors with a Ph.D. Since then, the percentage of adjunct faculty has skyrocketed to nearly 75 percent. Also called contingent faculty, these professionals include part time faculty, grad students and full time, non-tenured-track professors.