A Spotlight analysis of the fall 2026 course catalog found that adjunct and other non-tenure-track instructors are listed as the instructor of record for roughly 34 percent of undergraduate credit hours this semester, up from an estimated 27 percent five years ago.
Interviews with nine current adjunct instructors, most of whom requested anonymity citing concerns about contract renewal, described a pattern of semester-to-semester appointments, offer letters that sometimes arrive within two weeks of the term starting, and no guaranteed office space.
What the university says
A spokesperson for the provost's office said non-tenure-track hiring "reflects standard practice at research universities of our size" and noted that adjunct faculty undergo the same review process as other instructors before being assigned courses.
The university declined to make department chairs available for interviews and did not answer a question asking how many adjunct instructors were notified of their fall assignments less than one month before classes began.