About CAW:

The Coalition on the Academic Workforce (CAW) was established in 1997 by a group of higher education and disciplinary associations concerned about the dramatic increase in the use of "contingent," or non-tenure-track, faculty appointments. Many faculty with such appointments are employed part-time and lack adequate pay, benefits, and professional support. Contingent faculty members employed full time are often excluded from the governance processes at their institutions and often serve on limited-term appointments.

No matter how dedicated and qualified contingent faculty are, the terms of their appointments create structural impediments that put them at a severe disadvantage. Over reliance on contingent faculty members also puts institutions at a disadvantage. The immediate cost savings that institutions realize from their use are often offset by the lack of program coherence and reduced faculty involvement with students and student learning. Permanent faculty members must be present in sufficient numbers to develop courses, research new trends, set requirements, a design general education courses, majors, minors, and graduate programs.

The purposes of the Coalition on the Academic Workplace are

• to collect and disseminate information on the use use of part-time and contingent faculty member and its implications for students, parents, faculty members, and institutions;
• to articulate and clarify differences in the extent and consequences of changes in the faculty within and among the various academic disciplines and fields of study;
• to evaluate both short-term and long-term consequences for society and the public good of changes in the academic workforce;
• to identify and promote strategies for solving the problems created by inappropriate use of part-time, adjunct, and similar faculty appointments; and
• to strengthen teaching and scholarship

CAW meets regularly to undertake projects related to its mission.