PRINTER'S NO. 3002
No. 376 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY ROEBUCK, D. EVANS, JAMES, WOJNAROSKI, HERMAN, SHANER, YOUNGBLOOD, CURRY, BELFANTI, CREIGHTON, GRUCELA, JOSEPHS, MELIO AND CRUZ, DECEMBER 5, 2001
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, DECEMBER 5, 2001
A RESOLUTION 1 Directing the Joint State Government Commission to establish a 2 task force to study issues relating to the quality of 3 education and the increased employment of part-time faculty 4 at the Commonwealth's institutions of higher education and to 5 make a report to the House of Representatives. 6 WHEREAS, Over the past 30 years, institutions of higher 7 education have increased the practice of hiring part-time 8 instructors, and the Statewide percentage of part-time 9 instructors has dramatically increased from 22% in 1970 to 43% 10 currently; and 11 WHEREAS, The percentage of part-time workers in Pennsylvania 12 as a percent of all employees has slowly increased on average 13 4.7% from 16.1% in 1979 to 20.8% in 1996; and 14 WHEREAS, Calculations of the Department of Education for 15 1995-1996 indicated that approximately 76% of the Commonwealth's 16 community college faculty employees were part-time employees 17 when graduate instructional and research assistants were 18 included; and 19 WHEREAS, Part-time instructors receive a lower wage per
1 credit hour and generally earn 40% of what their full-time 2 colleagues earn per course; and 3 WHEREAS, Most part-time instructors receive no health 4 insurance or other benefits from their employment at the 5 Commonwealth's institutions of higher education; and 6 WHEREAS, The increased use of part-time faculty results in 7 considerable economic hardship for part-time faculty members and 8 has the potential for limiting college instruction as a career 9 for prospective faculty; and 10 WHEREAS, There is a need for a comprehensive examination of 11 whether any adverse impact on the quality of education at 12 institutions of higher education in this Commonwealth originates 13 from the institutions' increased employment of part-time faculty 14 and instructors and the resulting two-tiered structure of 15 faculty employees at those institutions; therefore be it 16 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint 17 State Government Commission to conduct a study on the impact of 18 an increasing trend in the use of part-time faculty on the 19 quality of education provided at institutions of higher 20 education in this Commonwealth; and be it further 21 RESOLVED, That the study shall also examine whether the two- 22 tiered faculty structure has an adverse impact on part-time 23 faculty and their families and whether it discourages 24 prospective instructors and faculty from entering or remaining 25 in the college instruction profession; and be it further 26 RESOLVED, That to assist in the accomplishment of this goal 27 the Joint State Government Commission establish a task force of 28 six members of the House of Representatives which shall consist 29 of the chairman of the Education Committee of the House of 30 Representatives or a designee, the minority chairman of the 20010H0376R3002 - 2 -
1 Education Committee of the House of Representatives or a 2 designee, two members of the House of Representatives to be 3 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives or 4 their designees and two members to be appointed by the Minority 5 Leader of the House of Representatives or their designees; and 6 be it further 7 RESOLVED, That the task force create an advisory committee 8 composed of individuals deemed appropriate by the task force; 9 and be it further 10 RESOLVED, That the task force report its findings and 11 recommendations to the House of Representatives not later than 12 October 1, 2002. K14L82MRD/20010H0376R3002 - 3 -