Fourth, the availability and use of part-time and adjunct faculty possibly unintentionally exacerbate divisions within the history professoriate. Faculty who are tenured or in tenure- track positions are frequently under pressure to obtain grants for research and to publish. These activities are perceived as enhancing and maintaining the reputations of departments and institutions. Consequently, there is a growing disparity in the research and publication achievements of these two segments of the professoriate. Finally, there is a significant disparity based on age, particularly in history which has one of the highest ratios of full time faculty over 55 with 41 percent compared to only 4 percent of the faculty under 35.
Age does necessarily produce differences but it is perceived as doing so at times.
The high proportion of older faculty might give junior faculty hope of future employment. However, the current trend toward downsizing faculty and programs in departments of history does not promote optimism. Fifth, community colleges, which have the largest percentage of part-time faculty, provide higher education not only for students seeking associate degrees but also for those who aspire to baccalaureate and graduate degrees. As one conference participant remarked, four- year colleges and universities increasingly have established a parasitic relationship with community colleges, expecting them to provide instruction in required, labor intensive courses. Thus colleges and universities may focus on courses which can be taught with larger class sizes or more specialized ones.