Adjunct or Associate?

Adjunct or Associate Faculty?

Q: What do you call someone who is paid on a per-course basis?
A: At IU, that person is an adjunct faculty member.

Q: Who (else) is called an "Adjunct"?

Adjuncts are a) per-course part time instructors, or, b) full time IU faculty members who have primary responsibilities in one unit, and are “adjunct” or part-time in another unit. Being "adjunct" in another department does not necessarily imply a second tenure home, any particular duties, or any funding split, although these could be specified for an individual case.

Q: What about “Associate Faculty”?
A: The term “associate faculty” is not used in IU policy, nor in the IU Indianapolis Faculty Guide. It is currently used in many units across IU Indianapolis and at other IU campuses, to refer to “adjuncts” who are (only) per-course faculty. Yes, it’s used on the Academic Affairs website!

The term "associate instructor" is a formal term for graduate students/student academic appointees (AC3) who teach.

Formal Definitions

IU Policy: ACA-14 Classification of Academic Appointments

“Adjunct Appointments. 

The qualification “Adjunct” is appropriate for teaching appointments of individuals, whether compensated or volunteer, whose career paths lie primarily in another position or employment. That is, the appointment is “adjunct” (“auxiliary”) to the career of the appointee, as well as to the faculty of the unit. Adjunct appointments, therefore, are necessarily part-time. Adjunct appointments are appropriate for individuals who have expertise useful for the accomplishment of the unit’s mission where that expertise is not available in the unit’s regular faculty. An adjunct appointee does not participate in faculty governance in the unit in which an adjunct appointment is held. Those with adjunct appointments fall within three groups: individuals whose principal employments are outside the university; those whose principal employments are within the university in positions for which teaching is not an appropriate responsibility; and faculty whose work in a second academic unit justifies a courtesy appointment in that unit.

Explanation and comment on Adjunct Appointments: Faculty who have full rights in more than one unit should have joint appointments. Discipline will be required to avoid appointment as adjuncts those who should be appointed as part-time lecturers.”

IU Policy: ACA-75 Affordable Care Act for Academic Employees

"Adjunct (AC2)

Adjunct appointments are to be used for part-time instructional appointments
Adjunct faculty may not work more than 29 hours per week on average during any term (spring, fall, or summer)
Adjunct Faculty shall notify the hiring department of any appointment at any other IU school or campus
By the end of September 2013, only part-time instructional appointments (below 29 Standard Hours) are to be in the Adjunct rank
Calculation of Adjunct Hours of Work"

Note that IU policy ACA-77 Advertising Policy for Academic Instructional Positions says, “This policy applies to the hiring process for all instructional faculty that require recruitment. This does not include the hiring process for adjunct faculty.”

In the IU Indianapolis Faculty Guide, the section "Part-Time Appointments at IU Indianapolis" refers to:

“Adjunct academic appointees are hired by schools on a temporary basis for term appointments based on changing needs….. Adjunct appointments are for teaching only. Appointments for service or research may not be made through the adjunct category.”

IU policy apparently does not use the term “associate faculty.” The IU Indianapolis Faculty Guide does not use the term “associate faculty.”

Regarding Part-Time

The Faculty Guide says, “These [adjunct] policies do not apply to part-time persons appointed to line-numbered positions on a continuing basis even though their appointments are less than 100%..”

However, IU policy ACA-75 says,

“Faculty (AC1)

Effective with academic year (AY) 2013-2014, non-instructional Faculty who are appointed below 30 Standard Hours (75% FTE) shall be reclassified as Temporary (formerly Hourly) positions (an example of non-instructional Faculty is research scientist).

Effective with AY 2013-2014, instructional Faculty who are appointed below 30 Standard Hours (75% FTE) shall be reclassified as Adjunct. By the end of September 2013, there should be no

Faculty (AC1) with an appointment of less than 30 Standard Hours.”

Therefore, normally there are no part-time, less-than-75% FTE AC1 appointees.

Reviewed and revised: 7/2022.