Scholars have attributed the rise in numbers of non-tenure track faculty to broader changes affecting higher education. In November 2013, AERA released the report: Non-Tenure-Track Faculty in U.S. Universities: AERA Statement and Background Report. 

About the Report:
The report presents a statement on non-tenure-track faculty (NTTF) adopted in 2013 by the Council of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). It is comprised of four recommendations that the association deems important to advancing the professional circumstances of university NTTF, whose numbers have increased dramatically. In addition to the statement, this document includes a background report concerning NTTF, based on the report of an AERA task force established to address this issue. 

Background:
Scholars have attributed the rise in numbers of NTTF to broader changes affecting higher education. The first is the burgeoning “massification” of higher education and the growth of new sectors such as community colleges; second is the dwindling of resources, particularly from state budgets; third is dwindling support for tenure; and fourth is the corporatization of higher education.The influx of tremendous numbers of students over the years (now including online students) has stretched the capacity of existing faculty, and higher education institutions have been expected to increase capacity without additional funding.

Read or Download the Report (PDF)
News Release
Task Force Charge