Fall 2001

Volume 4 Number 1
A publication of Macon State College

Sharing Their Expertise

Part-time Faculty Members Add Extra Dimension to Macon State College Experience

By Renee Pearman

Patrick Topping teaches an evening marketing course at Macon State College. Photos by Renee Pearman

By day, they are lawyers, principals, business executives, financial consultants and museum directors. In the evening, they step into the roles of educators, teaching Macon State College students everything they've learned about cyberlaw, education, marketing, history, finance and much more.

These adjunct faculty bring to the classroom not only their education but also their extensive experience, said Dr. J. Thomas Isherwood, vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of the faculty.

Take, for instance, Jason Ashford. He is an assistant district attorney in the Houston County DA's office, specializing in white-collar crime, fraud and computer crime. Then there's Patrick Topping, a senior vice president with the Macon Economic Development Commission, whose experience in marketing and sales ranges from business consulting and economic development to implementing promotional programs and management.

Tony Howard taught U.S. history during his military service, and Dr. Eileen Bell has worked as teacher and administrator in the public school system for more than
32 years.

Other adjunct faculty teaching at Macon State in recent years include a former private school headmaster, a human resources manager at a large conglomerate, a former mental health counselor with the Department of Corrections, a director of natural sciences at Macon's Museum of Arts & Sciences, an administrator with Middle Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency and a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch.

"Our part-time faculty bring depth and meaning to our curriculum," Isherwood said. "Our standards are high, as each of them has at least a master's degree in their discipline, and each of them brings to the classroom their life experience. It is important that we offer our students as diverse a learning experience as possible. Our part-time faculty, with their education and experience, contribute to this in a meaningful way."

Enrollment Growth

Adjunct faculty also have become an essential part of the college because of its enrollment growth. The number of students attending Macon State jumped from 3,568 in fall 1998 to 4,485 this fall, a nearly 26 percent increase.

"Our part-time faculty have been vital to us as we have had increased demand for our classes," Isherwood said.

Attorney Jason Ashford, center, with students in his IT class, (l-r) Lakeisha Johnson, Chris Clark, Jonathan Rockett and Macon McGinley

Macon State has 131 full-time faculty teaching in its eight academic divisions. This fall, 86 part-time faculty also are teaching classes, according to information from the Office of Academic Affairs. Most teach just one course per semester, and many find the pay is secondary to the satisfaction they get from teaching.

Ashford is a part-time instructor in the Division of Information Technology, teaching Legal Issues of Information Technology, or cyberlaw. During his nearly four years as an adjunct faculty member at Macon State, he also has taught business law for the Division of Business and Economics.

His credentials include a bachelor's degree in economics and a law degree from Florida State University, plus previous teaching experience in higher education. Before joining the Houston County District Attorney's office two years ago, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a support flight commander and comptroller with the 5th Mob at Robins Air Force Base.

Dr. Bill Elieson, chair of the Information Technology Division, approached Ashford about teaching cyberlaw. Ashford developed the course materials he uses, supplementing book knowledge with his own experiences as a lawyer. "In class, I use many anecdotes from my cases to illustrate legal points," he said.

Teaching what is in a textbook is one thing, said Elieson, but "it is something else to talk about one's own experience in applying the notions in the book. Part-time faculty typically bring to the classroom excellent real-world experience in the practice of information technology.

Tony Howard begins his History of World Civilization class at Warner Robins Center

"Of course, I want all of our faculty to be able to do this, based on their past experiences and current consulting activities," he continued, "but the primary responsibility of our full-time faculty members is to teach, and their teaching load is so heavy that it is difficult for them to do much consulting these days. So it is nice that our adjunct faculty bring a sense of current applications and trends."

Adjuncts usually are employed in the "applied" end of the disciplines in which they teach, noted Dr. Al McCormick, chair of the Division of Social Sciences. "The pragmatic experience, coupled with the theoretical orientation of a class, is a terrific combination," he said.

Sharing Experiences

Eileen Bell brings more than three decades of practical experience to her Introduction to Elementary Education class at Macon State. She taught elementary and middle school children for 17 years, then moved to the administration side, first as assistant principal and the last nine years of her career with the Bibb County School System as principal of Northeast Health Science Magnet School. She retired at the end of the past academic year only to find herself in a college classroom this fall.

"When I started teaching this Macon State course, I began by telling my students about my role as a principal and what I looked for when hiring teachers," Bell said. "I want to share with these students, based on my experience as an educator, what I think makes a good teacher, and I want to help them develop their own philosophy of education and develop the skills they will need to motivate their young pupils."

That kind of information is not always found in a textbook, Bell pointed out.

"Real-world" points of view can be a bonus for students deciding on a career path, said Charlene Goodwin, interim chair of the Health Sciences Division. "Part-time faculty bring knowledge to the classroom that is based on the reality of the working environment," she said.

Dr. Eileen Bell reviews an assignment with her education students (l-r) Candace Nichols, Melissa Cain, Twyla Robertson and Gwen Howard.

"For example, we have an adjunct faculty member teaching a Case Management Concepts and Services course. She is a Registered Nurse with a master's degree and has been chief nursing officer for one of our local hospitals for more than 20 years. She now works in the education department of that facility. Adjunct faculty bring a different perspective to the classroom, one that is not based on academics alone."

Topping teaches a Marketing Research and Decision Systems course. His marketing experience includes employment as a consultant with University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, president of the Milledgeville and Cumming chambers of commerce and project director, now senior VP, with the Macon Economic Development Commission.

"I have been involved in marketing and sales for more than 30 years now, working with small family-owned businesses and large Fortune 10 companies," Topping said. "These experiences allow me to put a 'real face' on what we are studying in school. Plus, I can relate relevant local activities to what we are studying, giving my students closer, first-hand examples of various marketing activities."

Adjuncts can tell students firsthand what it is like to work in today's job market, whether it is practicing law, consulting with IT businesses, working in economic development, caring for hospital patients or teaching in public school.

Bringing that current work experience directly into the classroom "is definitely an element that enhances the learning process," said Howard, who teaches History of World Civilization at the college's Warner Robins Center, "and it puts a face on those occupations that are only envisioned by students."