The increased number of graduate students teaching on campus and the seemingly decreased number of full time faculty has left undergraduate students at The University of Memphis wondering about our standards.
“All of my teachers are still in grad school and I don’t really feel like they know any more than I do,” said one U of M student who asked to remain anonymous.
According to a 1997 report, U of M teachers were paid least out of comparable schools, possibly prompting some to leave for better paying jobs.
There were 39 new faculty members hired during 2001, according to Darla Keel, an administrative associate for the Office of institutional Research.
“We currently have around 80 positions that are unfilled, but a percentage of these are from retirement,” said Pamela Jenkins, a business officer in the Provost office. “Although, some members of our faculty have left for higher paying positions.”
Indeed, most have.
“Last year alone, at least 23 people left The U of M,” Jenkins said.
This has raised questions from students on campus.
Graduate students who teach are paid a minimum of $800 a semester, although most make more. This pales in comparison to the average $55,000 salary of professors..
Although some students have questioned if this is related to recent budget cutbacks, there is definitely no link, according to Jenkins.
“The reason we have so many graduate student teachers is because we are a doctoral institution, and allowing them to teach is an important part of their training experience,” Jenkins said. “With less full time faculty, the effect would be fewer graduate student teachers because there would be fewer faculty to recruit and mentor them.”
Despite 209 graduate students teaching, some students still feel unsettled.
“Some of the graduate student professors seem to be really knowledgeable about their curriculum and really enthused about their teaching,” said Andrea Olson, a freshman at The U of M. “Sadly, others need to learn to communicate better with their classes and learn how to grade more properly.”
According to the Office of Institutional Research, there were only 827 full-time professors teaching in the Fall 2001 semester. For some students like sophomore Roxi Alicea, that makes the remaining professors at U of M stand out.
