Tuition increases in higher education have a generation of students graduating with debt along with a degree. At the same time, state universities themselves are being financially squeezed, no longer mostly subsidized by the states they represent, and professors are being asked to take on larger classes and scrimp on baccalaureate programs. That’s the case with Rutgers University, but Rutgers has Division I athletics. That department got $48 million last year. Rutgers Associate Professor Charles Haberl told NJTV News Anchor Mary Alice Williams that Rutgers has not been prioritizing its teaching staff with its financial resources.
“I’ll tell you what, they’re not prioritizing and that is what we refer to as instructional resources of the faculty,” said Haberl. “I’ve been at Rutgers eight years now and I’ve seen a number of my senior colleagues retire and during that time, their lines — which were good, tenured lines — have been converted into non-tenure track lines or even part-time lines.”
Within the contract negotiations, there has been talk about taking tenured track lines and making them adjunct or part-time staff. Haberl said that faculty members have been forced to teach larger classes and classes are incorporating less individualized instruction.
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