What Does College Cost Cutting Mean for Students?

Colleges and universities are far from immune to the current economic downturn. State budgets are being slashed, endowments have lost millions of dollars, and students are having a harder time paying for school. In response to the financial crisis, colleges are looking to save money wherever they can. This may mean that faculty and staff raises are put on hold, travel money is frozen, building projects are suspended, and equipment upgrades are delayed.

For most colleges, however, the easiest way to save significant dollars is to have fewer full-time faculty members.

Why should students care about this? Part-time and adjunct instructors are paid significantly less than full-time faculty, and they receive few if any benefits. Because of their low pay, many part-time instructors must teach numerous courses (often on more than one campus) or hold second jobs to make a living. As a result, you're likely to get less interaction with your teacher and less feedback on your work. Also, your teachers may not be fully satisfied with their jobs, and you may have a hard time finding them in a couple of years when you're looking for someone to write a letter of recommendation. Nearly everyone in academia recognizes that over-reliance on part-time instructors is bad for a college's learning environment, but finances will nearly always trump sound teaching policies.

When you're researching and visiting colleges, be sure to ask what percentage of the faculty is full-time. A low number may flag a less-than-stellar academic environment.