Smith, like most small liberal arts colleges, promises a superior commitment to teaching undergraduate students. Professors don’t disappear to work on their research and leave the bulk of student engagement to teaching assistants; rather, they create the classroom environment. That level of engagement is a high demand for faculty, even those who are tenure-track or tenured. Teaching is strenuous, time-consuming work, as is the expectation in academia for constant publishing. Considering these demands, it’s difficult to imagine how a visiting professor could possibly deliver a valuable classroom experience on their short-term stay.
The college asks a lot. There are a myriad of qualifications that a visiting professor must bring to the table to even be considered. Applicants for the position of Visiting Professor in History, a one-year contract, must be able to commit to teaching five courses per year and have a “strong foundation in teaching history in their field as well as writing for a general public audience.” Obviously, excellence in teaching is an essential quality for a candidate. But these individuals, who we expect to excel in teaching, have less access to the resources of tenure-track and tenured professors and have no idea where they might end up once the contract is concluded.
It is nearly impossible for visiting and adjunct professors to cultivate student-faculty relationships. There is simply less time to sustain a legitimate connection on a one-to-two year contract. A visiting professor does not have the longevity to make a three-or-four year commitment like an advisorship. They also must concern themselves with extraneous activities necessary for their own survival: job searches and research work, not to mention maintaining a personal life as much as one can on a one-year stay.
We expect visiting professors to dismiss their concerns about the quickly approaching future in order to prioritize exceptional teaching. But how could anyone, even the most well-adjusted person, possibly accomplish that? If we don’t think that perpetual uncertainty can seriously affect an individual’s ability to complete daily tasks, we’ve taken nothing away from the past two years. Since 2020, we’ve lived in “ifs,” and no one is immune to the toll of instability brought upon us by COVID-19. Similarly, each long term commitment a visiting professor makes also must be accompanied by an ominous, ever-present “if.” I can think about buying a house “if” I’m employed next year. I can think about settling down “if” this state, or even “if” this region, is where I end up. In this limbo, how can a visiting professor gather the emotional effort to dedicate themselves fully to teaching Smith students, knowing that once they become accustomed to the campus culture, once they have shared laughs and stories in office hours, they will have to begin again?
Visiting professors serve an important role in the Smith community. Like their colleagues, they work to ensure that students are getting the most out of a Smith education. However, there’s only so much one person can handle. Expecting professors to not let any anxieties about their future affect their demeanor in the classroom or their attentiveness to student work is, honestly, impractical. If Smith really wants excellence from its visiting faculty, it also must be willing to extend grace. Whether by offering more job security or reducing the teaching load, we owe our visiting faculty more than we give now.
