On a Saturday morning, while I sat in front of a room of close to 60 Adjunct Faculty, Campus staff, Full-Time Faculty and guest adminstrators from our Irvine Campus, preparing to present on one of the many topics on our agenda, I realized something important. Beyond what we already knew (as is the case with our students), the well-being of our Adjunct Faculty is incredibly important.
Simply stated; our Adjunct faculty want to be ‘a part of the process.’
Their presence on campus, twice a year, on a Saturday morning or a weekday evening for our Professional Development Days (PDD), reminded us all that our efforts to bring together 4(+) campuses, subject matter experts and an array of topics that exemplify currency in discipline, diverse perspectives and inclusion, are truly appreciated.
Our mentoring efforts go beyond the virtual sessions that we conduct during the course of a term, the weekly phone calls and the high volume of email correspondence.
There is a shared understanding that taking the time to both model and offer resources is vital to the positive community centered experience that we offer our Adjuncts.
That day (my 12th Professional Development day as our PDD ‘lead facitltator’), offered an experience and perspective that I hope to always remember.
This is how we become better.