Adjunct Faculty

Each faculty member is encouraged to include a policy statement on academic integrity in their course syllabi to promote a positive learning environment. If you have questions on how to formulate a policy, consult the Constitution of the Student Body to review the college’s statement on academic integrity or ask your department head for advice. Some departments have a standard policy to be used by all instructors.

• Academic integrity report

Respond promptly to any official college correspondence regarding census rosters, mid-term grades, final grades, etc. Census rosters are the official college records that show which students are attending courses and are used to determine the semester full-time equivalents (FTEs) for state aid.

• If a student is attending class, answer 'Yes'.
• If not, indicate 'No' and either enter a Last Attend Date or check the 'Never Attended' box.
• If the student resumes participation in the class, you can assign them a six-week grade and they will automatically be reinstated as a member of the class.

Census, mid-semester, and final grades are entered by faculty in Banner. All grades must be entered by the specified time unless prior arrangements have been made with Records & Registration. A grade must be entered for every student on the list. Additional instructions on how to submit census information and your grades electronically are available from your division administrative specialist.

Whether or not you count attendance as part of your grading, you must keep attendance for college records. For any student who earns an "F" in your class, you must be able to state the last day the student was in attendance. Be sure to know the "W" (Withdrawal) deadline for your course, especially if it is not a 15-week class, and announce it to your students.

The number of hours an adjunct can teach is limited; please speak with your division dean, director, or chair for further clarification. All adjunct faculty are required to hold at least one office hour per week for each section taught.

Returning adjuncts must adhere to the criteria used last academic year. Directors or chairs will review syllabi that were not reviewed in the last year, including all new adjunct syllabi.

For new hires, classroom observations will occur during each of the first two semesters, generally before the sixth week of class. Thereafter, observations will occur at least once every three years. The director or chair, dean, or designated full-time faculty member will conduct the observations. Official evaluations completed by students are to be done each of the first three semesters for new hires, then once a year thereafter. These evaluations will be made available to the instructor after the semester has ended. Faculty may also administer the Optional Fourth Week Faculty Evaluation Form to gather informal feedback earlier in the semester if desired.

The SUNY Records Retention and Disposition Policy states that all completed final exams must be kept for one year. "Final" is interpreted as a comprehensive exam. If you give a "last" exam, then it is recommended you do not call it a final. If you give comprehensive finals and return them to students, do so only after a copy is made. It is recommended that the student receives a copy and the original is kept on file.

In accordance with State Education Department requirements, each adjunct instructor must provide the division administrative specialist with a copy of their course syllabus at the beginning of the semester. The syllabus must include an explanation of how the final course grade is to be calculated. At the end of the semester, adjuncts must submit a copy of their grade book or grade spreadsheet including the formula used to determine grades. This information is used only in the case that a student challenges a grade and the instructor is no longer available.

Faculty are expected to meet all scheduled classes. In those circumstances when you must be absent during a scheduled class time, a Request For Prior Approval form must be submitted at least one week in advance. It is not the responsibility of the division administrative specialists or other staff members to proctor quizzes, tests, and exams or to take attendance. Alternative plans may be discussed with your director, chair, or dean.

• Request for Prior Approval form

SUNY requires 750 minutes of instruction for each credit or contact hour. If a class is missed for any reason, including weather or instructor illness, it is expected you will do everything possible to make up the class time. If you are unsure of your options, talk with your dean. Accordingly, it is expected that you will not dismiss classes early. For example, it is not appropriate to give an exam during a three-hour class where students are free to leave after spending an hour on the exam.

As it is an expectation of the college that faculty will practice professional growth through educational study, research, related travel, or other activities conducive to professional growth, the college has established a fund for faculty development. These funds are potentially available for all faculty, both full-time and part-time, through application to the Faculty Development Fund Committee (FDFC).

• Development funds guidelines (faculty)
• Development funds application (faculty) in the document repository

Adjunct instructors are eligible for a $50 stipend for attending campus-based development activities up to a maximum of four requests per adjunct per academic year.

For 2025-26, all 1-hour+ campus-based development activities (e.g., Development Day, Title II trainings) are pre-approved, with the exclusion of required HR trainings. "Campus-based" means activities developed, delivered, and/or coordinated by the college; these are not required to take place physically on campus. Also for 2025-26, funds can be requested retroactively through July 31, 2026. Speak with your dean or Justin March for more information about which activities are considered pre-approved for this stipend.

• Request for Adjunct Stipend

Part-time faculty have access to discretionary funds on a first-come first-served basis, renewable each academic year. This funding source is in addition to the existing Faculty Development Fund.

JCC has established an annual fund of $7,000 to support teaching, research, and professional growth not covered by the Faculty Development Fund. These funds will be divided equally for the fall and spring semester and will be available on a first come, first served basis. The funds are available to adjunct faculty only and may be used for course development (e.g., books, digital materials, equipment, etc.), technology purchases, professional development (e.g., conferences) professional/academic memberships, tuition, travel, and other expenses that enhance faculty effectiveness and student learning.

Note: Before requesting part-time faculty discretionary funds for professional development, adjunct faculty should first seek funding through the Faculty Development Fund. Additionally, recurring software expenses for instructional or course content may not be purchased with these discretionary funds.

Part-Time Faculty Discretionary Fund requests must be sent to the Discipline Chair or appropriate supervisor in advance of the activity or purchase. Requests should include the following:

1. A description of the activity or supplies needed.
2. An explanation of how this activity or supplies will contribute to your professional development and teaching effectiveness.
3. A breakdown of the estimated costs for the activity or supplies.

Chairs will be responsible for sending the request to Academic Affairs leadership (the Deans and the VP of Academic Affairs) for final approval and to award the funds.

Procedure for reimbursement:

1. All receipts must be submitted to Renee Henry, Office of Academic Affairs, on the Jamestown Campus within 30 days of completion of the activity or receipt of the supplies.
2. All monies are to be paid within the fiscal year of allocation. Any bills not submitted by the end of the fiscal year will be the responsibility of the faculty member.
3. Funds must be spent for the purpose for which they have been approved and may not be transferred to another expense, even if related to the project, without approval from Academic Affairs leadership.

The disbursement of Part-Time Faculty Discretionary Funds will follow college policy as appropriate; faculty submit bills/receipts after the activity is complete. However, advance payments for the purposes of pre-payment of registration fees, etc., can occur as long as this is consistent with college practice. Receipts are necessary for any payments that are approved prior to the event. Cash advances are generally not acceptable.

JCC tuition can be waived for adjuncts and their immediate family members. The number of credits of free tuition is equivalent to the total number of credit or contact hours that have been taught. Your credit is good for five years. SUNY also offers some partial tuition assistance if you are taking graduate courses within the SUNY system.

• Tuition waivers

The JCC faculty bargaining unit is the Faculty Association of JCC, affiliated with the New York State United Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers. Membership in the Faculty Association affords voting privileges, access to reports from its various committees, and updates on periodic contract negotiations with College administration.

For membership information and questions about dues, contact Amanda Bartels, Membership Chair.

For general information, contact Nancy Griswold, FAJCC VP for Adjunct Affairs.

Each semester you will need to electronically acknowledge your contract in Banner.

• Adjunct salary matrix guidelines

Your employee information, scheduled courses, course rosters, and directory information regarding each student enrolled in your course sections are in Banner. Use the Banner system to electronically submit census, mid-semester, and final grade information, and acknowledge contracts for Faculty Load and Compensation (FLAC).

Starfish is JCC’s early alert and scheduling tool. JCC faculty are required to:

• List office hours in Starfish in order for students to sign up for appointments with you: Setting Up and Editing Office Hours guide
  • How to sync your Starfish and Outlook calendars: Setting up Starfish Connect guide
• Submit progress surveys to keep students, and others in their network, informed of their status in class: Completing Progress Surveys guide

Reach out to Stephanie Cardone for assistance or questions with Starfish.

Sessions are available for technology training. If you are interested in specific training, contact Training@sunyjcc.edu.