Salaries of adjunct and part-time faculty are determined as follows:

A. "Adjunct Faculty" means an individual appointed on a semester basis to teach not more than one-half of the normal faculty load for regular faculty in the particular academic program and for the semester or session employed. The salary will be based on the number of credit hours taught. The specific rate per credit hour for each individual will be determined by the rank, discipline and qualifications of the individual. The salary range for adjunct faculty is set by the Board of Regents.

B. "Part-time Faculty" means an individual appointed either on a semester or an academic year basis to teach not less than one-half, but not more than one hundred percent (100%), of the normal faculty load for regular faculty in the particular academic program and for the period employed and who is to assume advising assignments, maintain office hours, and may be requested to serve on a faculty committee. Salaries of part-time faculty are negotiated and are consistent with the individual's educational background, experience and academic rank.
Persons employed as "Adjunct Faculty" do not qualify for participation in the Retirement Program outlined in the following benefits section.

C. Statement on Use and Qualifications of Adjunct Faculty
Washburn University recognizes and values the essential contributions adjunct faculty make to its academic programs. In some instances, the special expertise and experience of adjunct faculty complements that of the regular faculty in ways that provide educational opportunities to students they would not have otherwise. In other instances, adjunct faculty enhance the academic experience of students by making it possible to offer more sections of courses, resulting in smaller classes and more individual attention. In all instances programs are improved by and students benefit from the efforts of adjunct faculty.

Because adjunct faculty are valuable, maintaining a high quality corps of such faculty is extremely important. Washburn has maintained such a corps through the leadership of academic deans and department chairs. These academic leaders insure that adjunct faculty have appropriate educational and other related credentials for the courses they teach, and monitor the quality of instruction given by these faculty.

(Based on HLC Assumed Practices and Washburn existing practices) Faculty must possess an academic degree relevant to the discipline/field they are teaching and must be at least one level of education above the level of education they teach, except in programs for terminal degrees or when equivalent experience is established. Additional qualifications may be required and will be determined as appropriate by academic discipline or unit. In terminal degree programs, faculty members possess the same level of degree. If a faculty member holds a master’s degree or higher in a related discipline or subfield other than that in which he or she is teaching, that faculty member should have completed a minimum of 18 graduate credit hours in the discipline or subfield in which they teach.

Qualified faculty members are identified primarily by credentials, but other factors, including but not limited to equivalent experience, may be considered in determining whether a faculty member is qualified. For accredited programs, when faculty members are employed based on equivalent experience, professional experience (work/clinical experience) is defined by the specialized accreditation organization. For programs without specialized accreditation, professional experience is defined by the individual college or school but can be no less than a minimum of three years full-time work or employment in the field directly related to the area of instruction. In some specialized courses, a specialty license may be substituted for the experience requirement. Justification submitted for professional experience equivalence must include how the course instructor meets or exceeds the academic requirements for the course(s) to be taught. Exceptions to the academic credential must always be approved in writing by the academic dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs before the individual will be allowed to teach at Washburn University.

Department chairs and deans evaluate and assist in improving the quality of instruction delivered by requiring that student evaluations be given in each section taught by adjunct faculty. The department chair or dean regularly reviews the results of the evaluations with each adjunct faculty member. Personal observation by the dean, department chair or other regular faculty members is also strongly encouraged.

To maintain a reasonable balance in instruction between regular faculty and adjunct faculty, the University has historically attempted to keep the percentage of courses taught by adjuncts to 30% or less.