Many students in Mary Beth Gillam's Precision Language course are freshmen journalism majors looking to fulfill one of their core requirements, but once they turn 21, some may encounter Gillam across a bar counter.
As universities across the country are pressed to pull the reins on budgets, adjunct professors like Gillam who have side jobs, offer a cost-effective way to fill classrooms, but are provided with little job security.
Adjunct is a broad term for a variety of non-tenured faculty positions. Because adjuncts typically are appointed on a temporary basis and are not pursuing tenure, universities pay them lower salaries, and many of them have jobs on the side.
Adjunct is a type of term that's defined differently depending on who you're talking to
said Marty Tuck, associate provost for Academic Affairs.
Adjunct professors might work part time, but this isn't always the case.
Gillam teaches all three sections of Precision Language this quarter, making her what she considers a full-time adjunct professor.
Three of Ohio University's four categories for faculty receive benefits and one also receives tenure, but Gillam's classification, Group III, receives neither, Tuck said. Group III faculty, who account for 23 percent of faculty this year, are hired on a quarter-to-quarter basis, sometimes only days before classes begin, he added. The only way Group III faculty can be paid more while keeping their status is to teach more.
Gillam, a 36-year-old from Athens, graduated from OU in 1994. After receiving her degree in dance, she moved to New York City to pursue a dancing career and then spent another year in Munich before returning to Athens.
I was actually making more money dancing in Germany than I had in New York ... I loved it there but I'm American and I would've never totally fit in over there
she said.
After moving back to Athens, she attended a Precision Language course and decided to pursue a master's degree in journalism.
I just audited the class and said 'Oh
wow
' and got my neurons firing and said
'This is for me
' she said. And now I'm doing what I like
which is teaching the language
talking about words.
Gillam must spend four hours per week in her office on top of the six hours she teaches and the two nights a week she bartends at Tony's Tavern.
Typically (adjunct professors) have another position somewhere
a day job you could say
