A properly prepared and dedicated faculty is a major factor in the

19 adjunct faculty provide the necessary classroom, laboratory and

for their technical training/experience and/or academic preparation to

ensure that students are receiving the best possible learning

focus for several years and includes increased credential requirements

for new hires and professional development support for tenured faculty.

A five-year Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant (1989-1994)

resulted in four faculty receiving the doctorate, 17 received a master?s

degree and several began work toward a baccalaureate degree. Since that

initial focus on upgrading credentials, several faculty have completed

the baccalaureate degree and four have completed their master?s

Faculty qualifications are established to ensure that they possess the

requisite academic and technical knowledge to successfully carry out

determined to be appropriate when faculty possess the occupational

and/or academic skills needed to successfully facilitate the learning

process. Academic and/or occupational experience credentials are

utilized as indicators of requisite knowledge and skill to be successful

practitioner are also factors that support preparation of faculty for

teaching assessments. Professional accreditation standards as well as

regional standards are used to ensure faculty members are qualified for

Faculty performance is assessed through student input and formal

evaluation in accordance with the collective bargaining agreements. In

addition to faculty performance, program reviews are conducted on a

five-year cycle to ensure programs meet their assigned objectives.

Sufficient faculty members are employed by the college to meet the

demand placed upon its academic programs. This number is determined by

ensuring that teaching assignments are consistent with the workload

stipulated in the faculty contract as well as student to faculty ratios

required by professional accrediting organizations. The duties and

responsibilities of the faculty are also considered when determining the

number of faculty required (See Faculty & Staff Handbook, "The Work of

the Faculty at NMTC," and Maine Technical College System Board of

Trustees Agreement with the Maine Education Association Faculty Unit

are also consulted to ensure that the number of faculty employed are

MTCS and NMTC policies and procedures guide the recruiting and hiring of

all faculty members. These processes are also outlined in the faculty

contract. All applicants for faculty positions receive a copy of the

faculty contract and are given opportunities to review and discuss its

to all MTCS and institutional human resources policies for the hiring of

support staff for the instructional areas. The policies are included in

the MTCS Policy Manual and in the NMTC Faculty & Staff Handbook. The

college adheres to the collective bargaining agreement language that

applies to the hiring of administrators, faculty and staff and complies

Professional development is available to all employees of the college

and is funded by grant funds and funds from the general campus budget.

The current benchmark for professional development funding is two

percent of the campus education and general fund budget. To be eligible

for funding assistance, faculty and staff are required to submit annual

professional development plans which list activities supporting

college's strategic plan and the strategic plan of the MTCS. Requests

for funding for professional development activities are reviewed by

department chairs and then presented to the college's professional

development committee, which is made up of representatives of every area

to the goals of the college. If approved, the request is forwarded to

funding support must provide a report of how the experience was used to

enhance the learning environment and/or to further the caliber of

Perkins-funded professional development activity, the written report

must address a number of factors to indicate how the activity furthers

The college does not employ graduate-teaching assistants. However, in

some technical areas of the college, student interns and laboratory

complete an application process and are selected following discussions

Faculty assignments are established in consultation with department

chairs and faculty regarding the proposed draft academic schedule prior

to the next semester. Assignments are made in accordance with the

each semester and more frequently if faculty request a review or change.

Consideration is given to faculty members who are completing special

projects for the college or the system. This may result in a change of

assignment if mutually agreed upon by faculty and management. Faculty

contractual security, salary and benefits are set via the collective

bargaining process at the system level. The campus maintains a faculty

labor management committee to address concerns that may arise.

The responsibilities of faculty are defined in the faculty contract and

in the document titled "The Work of the Faculty at NMTC" (workroom

document). The faculty accepted this document in 1995. Policies and

procedures for recruitment, appointments, evaluation and promotion can

also be found in the MTCS Policy and Procedures Manual. The procedures

for faculty appointments are described in the faculty contract.

The faculty evaluation process includes gathering feedback from

students, in the form of a student opinion questionnaire, as well as

classroom evaluation by the department chair. The progress of faculty is

The faculty contract protects academic freedom and supports faculty in

their effort to provide open and honest dialogue in the learning

environment. The college adopted a Philosophy of Ethical Practices in

1989. That philosophical statement is in effect today and serves as a

guide for the action of all employees. The professionally accredited

programs in the business technology department have adopted the ethical

practice statement of the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and

Programs. The nursing department has also adopted the appropriate

The college's recent history shows significant effort has been and

continues to be focused on the strengthening of faculty qualifications.

This has been done in accordance with the desire of the NMTC strategic

plan goal 1: "Enhance the quality of programs and services through

on-going institutional accreditation, professional program

release time, financial support and reduced teaching loads, the

college's faculty have completed several undergraduate, masters and

The changes in recruiting practices and professional development support

professional development activities of the faculty with assessment and

achievement of personal, professional and college goals should continue

to ensure that the professional development of faculty has a direct

impact on teaching and learning. This will require the strengthening of

the faculty evaluation process to ensure that it provides meaningful

feedback for faculty and results in goals for faculty that are supported

by the college. The criteria used to evaluate faculty address some

portions of the mission of the college; however, they are not

sufficiently broad to provide feedback for faculty in all areas. The

faculty evaluation process is set by the collective bargaining

agreement, but the college, through its faculty management committee,

assisting faculty to strengthen their teaching and learning, this

process will enable the college to improve its ability to achieve its

The hiring of new faculty has seen the college expand its recruiting

practices to include advertising in national publications and requiring

a master?s degree in the discipline for most faculty positions. Even

though applicants for technical positions often do not have the

combination of experience and academic credential desired, the college

For newly hired technical faculty who lack background or experience in

teaching, the college provides an informal mentoring experience to

facilitate the adjustment to teaching and managing their area. This

process is lacking in any formal support structure for new faculty

improve the processes in place to support the development of teaching

skills for new faculty members lacking teaching experience.

The current number of faculty is sufficient to meet the needs of

students; however, the non-teaching duties of faculty continue to grow

faculty who transition a course to on-line status. Faculty involvement

in admission counseling and recruiting, academic advising and program

advisory committee activities continues to expand the expectations for

faculty with little support in place for these services. The college

needs to assess the roles and responsibilities of faculty in providing

support services, evaluate the role of student affairs, and develop

clear lines of responsibility to ensure that expectations are clear and

that resources are allocated to provide the support faculty need to

The college's policies and procedures for recruiting and appointing of

new faculty are clear and ensure that faculty are involved in the

process. The committee structure of the college affords faculty the

opportunity to participate in the decision making process. The

college's faculty/management committee, composed of faculty and

management members, provides a forum for faculty to raise concerns and

to address concerns that do not get resolved in other forums with

The institution's future is dependent on the success of its graduates

the financial benefit of increasing the number of adjunct faculty. The

college has made the decision not to change the commitment to the use of

the right of first refusal for teaching courses above the workload

requirement. This assures that full-time faculty have the opportunity

to teach all courses that are in their area of expertise. While this is

members are compensated for teaching overloads based on a formula

no limits on the number of hours a full-time faculty member may teach

nor does it deal with the number of students a faculty member may teach

encourages faculty to increase their teaching load late in their career

to increase annual retirement earnings, creates a situation where some

faculty choose to assume very heavy teaching loads in order to increase

the issues associated with the amount of teaching load full-time faculty

that faculty members have the time and resources to meet the needs of

students and eliminate the pressure to carry extra courses.

The college strives to ensure that part-time faculty members have the

information and materials needed to follow the department-approved

course syllabus of the courses being taught by the full-time faculty.

Processes are in place to provide limited support for these faculty

members. The college can strengthen the adjunct faculty positions by

addressing the needs of adjunct faculty in the same manner as full-time

faculty. Contact between full-time and adjunct faculty is limited, and

adjunct faculty have little access to the professional development

little opportunity for feedback for adjunct faculty who are looking to

improve teaching skills or to expand their knowledge in a particular

area. Support services for adjunct faculty members are not consistent

adjunct faculty is limited, and their participation in college decisions

is limited. It is important for all faculty members to understand the

mission of the college and the goals outlined in the strategic plan.

The college would benefit from strengthening the support processes and

procedures for adjunct faculty members and in working to include these

its academic area by putting into place a formal document that describes

responsibilities should be reflected in the contractual agreements

In order to make the most of its institutional effectiveness efforts, it

is essential that the college align its faculty professional development

efforts with its strategic plan and institutional effectiveness

efforts. Several issues need to be addressed to ensure this is

First, the college's faculty/management team to needs assess the faculty

campus faculty and management with a vehicle from which to implement

change. The committee needs to work to ensure that faculty evaluation

is aligned with the professional development goals for faculty and the

The continued improvement of teaching/learning practices warrants

faculty to provide quality learning opportunities for students.

Assessing the outcomes of the instructional process will assist faculty

in determining their effectiveness and will provide guidance for

additional professional development activities to help expand knowledge

The collective bargaining agreement provides little incentive for

ensure that faculty have the necessary opportunities to continually

the foundation pieces for planning professional development activities.

When possible, faculty are hired who have prior teaching experience or

implementation of a formal process to enhance the teaching effectiveness

of faculty having no prior teaching experience or training is essential

faculty have the expertise and training to address this need. It may be

necessary to provide sufficient release time for those interested to

develop a series of seminars, courses, or mentoring processes to meet

Due to the fact that the number of faculty needed from one semester to

the next fluctuates with enrollment, there will be a continued need for

The college must ensure that all courses, whether taught by full-time

faculty or adjunct, contain the same performance and assessment

development opportunities will be a continuing challenge. The

professional development committee may be an appropriate vehicle to

address these issues.  

Orientation for adjunct faculty should be more consistently applied and

discussion of institutional mission and goals, the goals of the program,

course or courses to be taught and the college's definition of an

include compensation, office support, information services, professional

department chairs working with the faculty/ management team should

The institution has begun the process of offering on-line learning

involved as the college provides the opportunity for training and

delivery of on-line courses grows, the college will need to set

standards for course development and delivery and assess the

curriculum committee may be the vehicle to addresses issues related to

At this time, faculty compensation for development and delivery of

on-line courses is not clear and needs clarification. This will

necessitate a review of the institution's definition of an acceptable

need to be reviewed to ensure all needs unique to this teaching