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                                                      PRINTER'S NO. 3002

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE RESOLUTION

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.












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