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1. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville employs a significant number of part-time faculty (139 of 716, or 19% of the total faculty in the College of Liberal Arts in 1978, for example) to perform teaching functions.

2. The need for part-time faculty is likely to be a continuing one, for economic reasons: the replacement of part-time faculty by permanent full-time faculty would greatly increase University expenditures.

3. The utilization of part-time faculty is largely in the teaching of lower-division, general education, courses which figure heavily in the education and retention of new students.

4. A high level of professional competence is desirable in the interests of the University's commitment to quality higher education.

5. Part-time faculty are expected to exhibit this competence, along with commitment to the University's mission, but often receive little commitment and inadequate compensation in return.

That the Faculty Senate urges that UTK develop a set of guidelines with respect to part-time faculty employed by academic departments on the Knoxville campus. The guidelines should acknowledge the role of part- time faculty in the University's educational mission as a professional one, and the guidelines should endeavor to make the conditions of employment of part-time faculty as equitable and humane as possible-- recognizing, of course, that the resources of the University are limited.

That the Senate recommends that the guidelines have the following provisions:

a) There should be substantial departmental faculty participation in the establishment of unit policy concerning selection, retention, and assignment of part-time faculty.

b) Each appropriate unit (preferably at the campus level but at least at the college level) design equitable procedures to be followed in the hiring and continued employment of part-time faculty within their jurisdiction. These procedures should be clearly communicated to all concerned, and consistently followed. Fairness and open communication are essential ingredients in maintaining morale of part-time faculty.

c) Within any department, potential part-time faculty should be assigned a priority ranking, based especially upon qualifications, but also on past satisfactory service to the university. As positions become available, they should be filled on the basis of this priority ranking. Periodic review of the priority list would be appropriate.

d) Some effort should be made, so far as is possible, to stabilize the employment of part-time instructors, and to reduce uncertainty concerning future employment. This may be accomplished by:

i. attempting to make reasonable predictions concerning future needs for part-time faculty.

ii. attempting to keep the pool of part-time faculty in line with future predictions.

iii. assigning part-time faculty to categories, and notifying them as far as possible in advance that they will have employment, will probably have employment, may have employment, or probably will not have employment.

iv. where possible, part-time faculty should be appointed annually, and listed in the unit budget by name.

e) The University should recognize the value of experience gained in part-time employment, and should institute procedures which allow and encourage continuing employment where this is consistent with the teaching needs of the University.

f) Some efforts should be made to make compensation of part-time faculty commensurate with the service that they perform. This might be accomplished by:

i) appointing part-time faculty at least at the base salary of the rank of instructor (or, in some cases at professorial levels) in the unit of their employment, clearly defining the type of duties expected of part-time faculty relative to those of full-time faculty in the unit.

ii) compensating part-time faculty on a pro-rata percentage of this rank.

iii) giving annual increments to this base salary, based upon institutional averages.

g) The University should make an effort, through the legislature where appropriate, to make part-time faculty eligible for fringe benefits (some on a pro-rata basis, and others outright).

h) Those fringe benefits not requiring legislative approval, such as faculty discounts and faculty library privileges, be made available to part-time faculty immediately.

i) The Faculty Senate should explore ways in which part-time faculty might be represented on the Senate.