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The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

Facts about adjuncts at DePaul and nationwide

(Max Kleiner / The DePaulia)
(Max Kleiner / The DePaulia)

As some adjunct professors push to earn $15,000 per course, here is what you need to know about adjuncts at DePaul and across the country:

  • Adjuncts are defined as faculty paid to teach a specific course. Tenure and tenure track faculty often hold various other roles in the university and have additional responsibilities, but have more job stability and benefits.
  • DePaul adjuncts are paid between $3,000 and $6,000 per course, higher than the national average of just under $3,000 and slightly more compared to some other Chicago-area universities. 1,731 adjunct professors were employed by DePaul in 2014.
  • DePaul trends suggest that as enrollment fluctuates, so does adjunct employment. For example, enrollment and adjunct faculty employed by DePaul peaked during the 2011-12 academic year. But when enrollment declined 6.3 percent over two years, adjunct faculty saw a 7.8 percent decline in their ranks, nearly 150 fewer.
  • For some adjuncts, low wages and little benefits has led to juggling jobs at multiple universities, which they say affects their ability to serve students. Others, like Wanda Evans-Brewer who teaches at DeVry University and Concordia University, are on welfare. According to The Atlantic, nearly 25 percent of all adjuncts nationally receive some government assistance.
  • Four Chicago universities operate adjunct unions:  Columbia College, City Colleges of Chicago, Roosevelt University and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
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