| Adjunct faculty are important to academe and have been part of community colleges since the
early 20th century, providing community colleges flexibility with student enrollment by filling
instruction needs while keeping salaries manageable. Rural community college adjunct faculty
bring industry expertise and many other positives to their work. This qualitative study used the
narrative inquiry research approach to conduct interviews with 13 adjunct faculty on a rural
community college campus in Idaho. The purpose of this study was to better understand (a)
adjunct faculty experiences at a rural community college in Idaho and (b) how these
experiences impacted their sense of belonging. The study used Strayhorn’s sense of belonging
model by researching if the adjunct faculty interviewed experienced a sense of belonging on
their rural college campus. To enhance inclusion of adjunct faculty on a community college
campus, the following recommendations for practice were proposed: (a) enhance recruitment,
(b) create robust orientation programs, (c) offer mentoring, (d) develop an adjunct liaison
position, (e) increase collaboration and engagement, (f) make changes in pay structure, and (g)
add recognition programs for adjunct faculty. The adjunct faculty in this study loved teaching
and enjoyed being around students. Regardless of what negative experiences they experienced,
the faculty were not deterred from doing what many of them were so passionate about. Any
perceived lack of recognition from the institution did not affect their commitments to teaching,
as recognition from students was their reward.
Key Words: Adjunct faculty, rural community college, and sense of belonging. |