"Part-timers constitute more than one-third of all faculty members in the United States. Despite widespread criticisms that the use of part-time faculty is detrimental to the quality of academic programs, such use has been increasing for decades. Yet part-time faculty are treated largely as the second-class citizens of academia - denied status, benefits, collegial support, and the respect and attention that full-time faculty take for granted. This book exposes the myths and false assumptions about this "invisible" faculty to show how institutions can actually strengthen academic programs through the use of part-timers." "Based on interviews with 467 chief academic officers, deans, department heads, and full- and part-time faculty members at eighteen institutions, The Invisible Faculty reveals who part-time faculty are, the conditions under which they work, how different institutional policies constrain or favor their employment, how their teaching and other assignments contribute to institutional goals, and what institutions can do to integrate them fully into the academic community." "The book examines the practices that support and enhance the value of part-time faculty both in and outside the classroom, offering forty-three specific recommendations to help institutions plan and manage their use of part-timers, develop fair employment policies, and invest in part-timers as valued human resources who can and do contribute to the quality of education on their campuses."--Jacket.