The 23,000 students who pass through the portals of Nassau Community College each year never know if their professors are full-time or adjunct professors. And that’s how it should be. Except for the fact that higher academic standards newly imposed by the college apply only to the adjunct faculty, the qualifications for both faculties are identical. Indeed, in all official evaluations done by the college, no mention is ever made of the adjunct faculty. To the administration and therefore to the student body, the adjunct faculty is invisible.
 
There are approximately 530 full-time faculty and 2600 adjunct faculty. There are six semesters. The full-time and adjunct faculties share the responsibility of teaching in the fall and spring semesters in which approximately 1200 to 1400 adjunct professors teach.  The adjunct faculty has the exclusive responsibility of teaching in the other four semesters—three summer and one mini-semester.
 
This cadre of professionals that teach more than half the courses at NCC fall into four groups:
 
The first group is made up of full-time professors that teach a full program at NCC.  Half the full-time faculty teaches adjunct courses. They are 22% of the adjunct faculty teaching in any given semester.
 
The second group is made up of college professors that teach at more than one college. They have the same credentials and the same teaching skills as the full-time or adjunct faculty, but are waiting for full-time assignments. This is the smallest group – perhaps 5% of the adjunct faculty.
 
The third group is made up of professionals such as presiding judges, lawyers, engineers, accountants, police officers, etc. that teach specialized courses. These individuals have the highest credentials in their field and offer expertise often not available on many campuses. This group is larger than the second, but smaller than the first.
 
The fourth group, by far the largest, is made up of professional teachers that teach the same subject at the college that they teach at a high school. These individuals represent a rare asset on any campus. They must meet the highest academic standards imposed by the college. Trained in the art of teaching and the Socratic method of questioning, they are experts at presenting developmental lessons. In short, trained high school teachers with advanced degrees are consummate college professors. Many of them are supervisors that teach teachers how to teach.
 
A former chairperson of the Board of Trustees once wrote that the adjunct faculty at NCC was “the finest in the nation.” We appreciate the compliment, and add that adjuncts are as well the most cost-effective part of the college budget. Indeed, the adjunct faculty creates important profit for the college.. An average class of 30 students pays $9,000 in tuition. Tuition alone gives the college a profit when the course is taught by an adjunct. Yet, tuition represents only one-third of the college income—the state and county pay the other two-thirds.
 
Without the teaching skills of the adjunct faculty, NCC could not function. Responsible for teaching more than half the courses, the adjunct faculty is the backbone of the college.