CFA – College Full of Adjuncts

By Lee Pikelny

In Bradley University’s Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts, part-time faculty members, or adjuncts, have been called on to teach students various skills for different fields. Each department – Art, Communication, Interactive Media, Music and Theatre Arts – has its own set of adjuncts, with some being utilized differently than others. We’ll see how various staff members came to Bradley, look at the different courses they teach, and hear a student’s take on his experience with the part-time crew.

Adjuncts bring help for a growing college

We all know about those professors who spent years getting their high-level degrees who’ve been teaching for years. It requires a lot of work and experience to teach college students. But what about the part-time faculty who may have received no more than a Bachelor’s Degree? While they may still need many years of experience, the levels will vary. Bradley University’s Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts is one of the most popular colleges on campus, and with growing class sizes, more staff is needed to help out, and that’s where the adjuncts come in.

Of the five CFA departments, Communication is the most popular; and with more than 500 students, it is the biggest department on campus. This department covers majors in advertising, journalism, organizational communication, public relations, sports communication and television arts. In the major requirements, there is some overlap. For instance, there is journalistic writing, a 200 level course needed by five of the six majors.

“Every semester we have to offer four to five sections of that and we can’t take all of our full-time faculty and put them in those sections when they’re needed in so many other classes,” said Jamie Glenzinski, the administrative support for the Department of Communication.

It is the same concept for courses such as the oral communication process (COM 103) and the introduction to interactive media (IM 113). Many part-time teachers are required.

In the Com. Department, there are 13 adjunct instructors teaching in the Spring 2013 semester. There are currently 22 full-time faculty members.

The Art Department has 10 adjuncts, the same number as full-time staff, listed on the faculty website.

Twenty-one adjunct faculty members fill up the Music Department; many are affiliate instructors and some are staff accompanists. This department has nine full-time faculty members.

The Theatre Department lists only two adjunct faculty members – one is a music director and the other is a technical director. It has six full-time members.

Then there’s the Interactive Media Department. Only four full-time staff members are listed, but there are 14 adjunct faculty members.

Trudy Ruch, the administrative support for the IM Department said many of the adjuncts are recent Bradley graduates who asked for work right away. Others are alumni who hold other jobs and wanted to come back to share some of their skills with students. Some received no education from Bradley, but studied around Illinois or received jobs in the Peoria area and discovered BU.

Glenzinski said she agreed with the idea of professionals wanting to help teach what they’ve experienced.

“A lot of them in the field are kind of interested on the side to have a part-time job or want to share that with students,” she said. “A lot of times they will contact us, send in their resume just saying ‘If you ever have a teaching opportunity for a writing class, a news class, a sports class, please consider me.’”

She said many times, the department chairs will know somebody in the field and they’ll contact those people and talk to them about the program and find out if they’re interested.

Over the years, Glenzinski said students have had mixed feelings about the adjunct instructors.

“Sometimes I have to say that the adjuncts… they’re pretty tough teachers,” she said. “Maybe it’s because they don’t have the experience of teaching from years ago, but they’re teaching what they know.

“Once in a great while somebody might stop by and say ‘I love so and so’ and that’s nice to know, I usually will let [the adjuncts] know that because they’re not professionals in the teaching industry so it makes them feel good if they know that they’re appreciated.”

Regardless of the results, adjuncts have become a necessary part of the CFA departments, and as the student numbers continue to increase, the search for more adjuncts will continue.

 

From newsroom to classroom

It’s been quite a journey for Lee Hall, sports director at WEEK-TV. Although he’s been on camera for around 30 years, this year marks his first attempt at teaching. Let’s see how he did!

 

Full-time student shares part-time thoughts

I’ve been a student at Bradley for three years now, and I’ve had my share of adjunct instructors. It’s been quite a different experience between full-time and part-time faculty, and I’m sharing my thoughts on how the latter has done.

 

Adjuncts across campus

IM 113 could only get me so far! If I remembered the flash skills, this would be an interactive graphic. This image is of an actual interactive graphic from the Bradley website, but I would only have four points for the Caterpillar Global Communications Center, Heuser Art Center, Hartmann Center and Constance Hall. These are the buildings with classes taught by the adjuncts. This gives an idea of who is teaching what, and that they’re not just here to assist with basic level courses.

 

Caterpillar Global Communications Center

If you were to scroll over the GCC, this picture would pop up: 

If you clicked on the image, you would see a list of adjunct instructors and the courses they taught during the Spring 2013 semester.

Don Baker – The Oral Communication Process (COM 103)

Andrew Kirk – The Oral Communication Process (COM 103)

Lyndsey Hawkins – The Oral Communication Process (COM 103)

Frank Radasevich – Journalistic Writing (COM 201)

Erin Miller – Journalistic Writing (COM 201)

Chris Kaergard – Journalistic Writing (COM 201)

Alyssa Rodgers – Basic Advertising Writing (COM 202)

Terry Knight – Basic Reporting (COM 215)

Lisa Miller – Basic Reporting (COM 215)

Fred Zwicky – Visual Storytelling (COM 225)

Lee Hall – Sports Writing and Announcing (COM 260)

Shelli McClellan – Broadcast News Writing and Reporting (COM 310)

Dave Kindred – Seminar in Communication: Sports Interviewing (COM 492)

Jordan Aschwege – Introduction to Interactive Media (IM 113 B)

Dave Schuette – Introduction to Interactive Media (IM 113 D)

Stephen Petrany – Introduction to Interactive Media (IM 113 E)

Adam Thornburg – Basic Interactive Media Authoring (IM 213)

Michael Vujovich – Web Design (IM 365 (cross-listed as ART 365)

Dave Zumbek – Web Design (IM 365)

Chad Udell – Advanced Interactive Media Authoring (IM 413)

Emily Berger – Interactive Media Portfolio & Special Topics in Interactive Media: Game Industry Intro (IM 426 & 491)

 

Constance Hall

If you were to scroll over Constance Hall, this picture would pop up:

If you clicked on the image, you would see a list of adjunct instructors and the courses they taught during the Spring 2013 semester.

Carl Anderson – Intro to Music Business (MUS 101)

Alison Robuck – Music Appreciation & Oboe (MUS 103 (taught in Olin Hall), APL 186 & 386)

Shirley Salazar – Senior Recital, Junior Recital, Voice Class & Voice (MUS 002, 003, 115, APL 197 & 397)

Jill Rimington – Piano Class for Adult Beginners (MUS 140)

Andrew King – Orchestra &  Instrument (MUS 141, 341 & APL 198)

John Larson – Introduction to Music Technology (MUS 250)

Ryan Miller – Ensemble: Brass, Euphonium & Trombone (MUS 310, APL 181, 381, 192 &392)

Peggy Bonner – Ensemble: Percussion, Percussion & Percussion Technique, Materials and Methods (MUS 310, APL 188, 388 & MED 257)

Keith Zimmerman – Ensemble: Woodwind & Saxaphone (MUS 310, APL 190 & 390)

Michael Hull – Ensemble: Guitar & Guitar (MUS 310, APL 183 & 383)

Lisette Kielson – Ensemble: Collegium & Instrument (MUS 310 & APL 198)

Nellie Dixon – Bassoon (APL 177 & 377)

Timothy Archbold – Cello (APL 178 & 378)

Sherill Diepenbrock – Clarinet (APL 179 & 379)

Andrea Molina – Piano (APL 189)

Jeremy Attanaseo – String Bass (APL 191 & 391)

Glen Solomonson – Tuba (APL 194 & 394)

James Rimington – Voice (APL 197 & 397)

 

Heuser Art Center

If you were to scroll over the Heuser Art Center, this picture would pop up:

If you clicked on the image, you would see a list of adjunct instructors and the courses they taught during the Spring 2013 semester.

Christopher Holbrook – Drawing II (ART 102)

Eugene Maison – Two-Dimensional Design (ART 105)

Russell Sayler – Two-Dimensional Design (ART 105)

Joshua Cox – Art Appreciation, Intermediate Drawing II & Advanced Drawing II (ART 131, 304 & 404)

Jacqueline Willis – Three-Dimensional Design (ART 106)

Sara Stewart – Drawing Studio I & II (ART 203 & 204)

Darren Jackson – Typographic Design (ART 205)

Sara Foerster  – Typographic Design (ART 205)

Susanne Nestory – Beginning Painting I, II, & Life Drawing  (ART 209, 210 & 230)

Bob Emser – Advanced Studio Projects: Public Art Project & Special Problems: Studio Critique (ART 300 & 680)

Dorothy Linn – The Artists’ Book and Bookmaking & Special Problems: Artist’s Bookmaking (ART 320 & 680)

Joel Steger – Manipulated Image & Studio Lighting and Illustration Photography (ART 326 & 327)

Michael Vujovich – Web Design (ART 365 (cross-listed as IM 365)

Jason Lamb – 20th Century Art (ART 375)

Sharon Conlee – Graphic Design Portfolio (ART 406)

Matt Nelson – Advanced Web Design (ART 465)

 

Hartman Center

If you were to scroll over the Hartmann Center, this picture would pop up: 

If you clicked on the image, you would see a list of adjunct instructors and the courses they taught during the Spring 2013 semester.

Sarah Salazar – Intro to Theatre (THE 131)

Steve Warner – Film Appreciation (THE 141)

Christen Susong – History of Theatre and Drama I (THE 336)

Travis Stern – History of Theatre and Drama III (THE 338)