by P.D. Lesko

IN THIS ISSUE of the magazine, Assistant Editor Chris Cumo caught up with five very special people. The individuals profiled in this issue prove conclusively that adjunct faculty can lead full and rich professional lives. "Gypsy Scholar" is a frequent term applied to adjunct faculty, along with the moniker "Freeway Flier." I rather prefer the former to the latter, though feel I am choosing between the lesser of two evils. Frankly, adjunct faculty are not "Gypsies" in the sense that they move from job to job.

A study conducted by the National Education Association found that the average temporary faculty member stayed longer with a teaching job than did the average tenure-line faculty member. Are adjuncts, then, "Freeway Fliers?" Some, yes, of course they are. But just as generalization is useless in describing most groups, it is particularly ineffective when describing temporary faculty. Would a visiting assistant professor fall into the "Freeway Flier" category? I think not, but the individual would be classified as a temporary employee nonetheless.

Given the ease with which such terms are bandied about by the higher education media, as well as faculty, administrators and students, the professional lives of our five profile subjects soundly refute such generalizations. Our five adjunct faculty Fulbright winners lead full and interesting lives, professionally speaking. From Vietnam to Hungary and places in between these individuals, all of whom have taught part-time for many years, take themselves and their careers very seriously.

In speaking with Ms. Judy Pehrson, the Director of External Relations at the Center for the International Exchange of Scholars, she stressed that the Fulbright Program welcomes applications from adjunct faculty. Not only that, the CIES staff spend a good deal of time and effort soliciting applications from adjunct faculty and professionals. It is a gratifying example of a fellowship program that makes every effort to be inclusive to those who hold temporary appointments within higher education. Many programs, unfortunately, still require full-time teaching experience, or that applicants hold a full-time regular teaching appointment.

Publishing the profiles of Drs. Peters, Kaufman, Stralser, James and Joyce gives me great satisfaction. To quote songwriter Johnny Mercer, "...[y]ou've got to accentuate the positive; eliminate the negative; latch on to the affirmative and watch out for Mr. In-between." That is not to say that the magazine ignores the pressing issues which impact temporary faculty, such as low pay, lack of benefits and lack of institutional support. Any good sports official knows that it is vital to keep the entire playing field, the action, and all of the players in front of you.

The Adjunct Advocate is published with much the same strategy in mind. We keep the whole field in our direct line of vision: positive and negative. Unlike our good sports official, however, the Adjunct Advocate directly impacts the game. In September of 2000, our circulation will top 60,000. With our 30-40 percent pass along rate factored in, The Adjunct Advocate will reach more college faculty than The Chronicle of Higher Education and Linguafranca combined. By September of 2001, we expect to reach over 100,000 college faculty with every issue of the publication.

As the magazine grows, editorial features will continue to dispel myths, and provide much needed news and information. Our mission is to help those in higher education understand why temporary faculty need to be taken very seriously as teaching professionals. Temporary faculty are neither "gypsies" nor "fliers." They are colleagues, potential Fulbright scholars, academics who would benefit from some much-needed accentuation of the positive.