MCC Approves New Adjunct Contract

The McHenry County College Board of Trustees has unanimously approved a new adjunct faculty deal aimed at keeping their part-time employees at the college.

The new four-year contract includes salary increases each year, a move designed to attract and retain staff that otherwise may have chosen other community colleges based on pay, according to officials.

“This deal is a win for the college, the adjunct faculty and the students,” said Peter Ponzio, vice president of the Adjunct Faculty Association. “This allows MCC to be more competitive with other community colleges. We had to do it.”

Previously, the average salary per three-credit course paid to adjuncts was well below the average paid at surrounding community colleges. At Elgin Community College, Harper College, College of Lake County and Rock Valley College, the average salary is $2,505. MCC averaged $1,707 per course.

In the past, MCC may have lost some adjunct faculty members due to pay, Ponzio said.

“It was getting to be a problem,” he said. “Many of our adjunct faculty have the ability to teach at other schools, and they would choose a nearby one because the salary was higher. This should allow us to keep some of those teachers.”

President Vicky Smith agreed.

“MCC was losing excellent adjunct faculty to surrounding community colleges just when they were melding with our students and colleagues,” she said. “The new contract will stem this exodus.”

The agreement affects the 250 adjunct faculty employees at the college, although not all are part of the association. It will cost MCC $390,000 in the 2012 fiscal year. Salaries are slated to increase 16 percent the first year, 8 percent the second, 9 percent the third, and 12 percent in the final year of the deal.

Adjunct pay raises in the first year are about 1 percent of the college’s education fund budget.

“I find it difficult to imagine other ways of making such an educationally beneficial move for so little money,” said James Cambell, chief negotiator and association secretary. “(Adjunct faculty) are a vital part of the teaching and learning process, providing instruction on par with that of full-time faculty.”

Other parts of the contract include increased professional development opportunities, an updated formal evaluation process, and the possibility to work more hours.

The new contract benefits the students most, Smith said.

“MCC is known for its quality faculty and excellent teaching that results in student success,” she said. “The new contract goes a long way toward insuring excellent adjunct faculty will remain at MCC to provide continuity in quality of our students.”

The contract begins in August and runs through the 2015 summer semester.