Viking News

Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: News

Judging from the numbers for the better part of the last decade, the number of fulltime faculty members at OCC has been steadily decreasing while both student enrollments and tuition have increased significantly. Could eliminating fulltime faculty be a way to deal with problematic staff members?

Since 1998, when Milton Shaw was still president of the college, the percent of faculty who teach fulltime has gone from 32.45 to 22.05 in 2007, but part-timers have risen from 67.55 percent to 77.95 percent, or more than three quarters of those who teach.

In 1998, 111 out of 342 faculty members were fulltime, just 32.45 percent. In 1999 the number increased to 33.84 percent when 112 out of 331 were fulltime. The following year, fulltime numbers dropped again, from 112 to 110.

The year 2000 was Larson's first as president, and 110 out of 373, or 29.49 percent were fulltime. In 2001 the numbers increased to 33.24 percent when 116 out of 349 faculty members were fulltime. But 2002 saw a large decrease as the number was again under 30 percent at 29.32. At that time, 112 out of 382 teachers were fulltime. In 2003, the numbers increased again, to 31.87 percent or 123 of 386 faculty members were fulltime.

In 2004 the exodus began again when 114 of 385 were fulltime. That is 29.61 percent. Then, in 2005, the numbers dropped again to 29.02 percent when 119 out of 410 were fulltime.

In 2006 and 2007 the numbers are the lowest in the decade, perhaps ever. In 2006, just 104 of 451 faculty members, or 23.06 percent, were fulltime, and in 2007, 107 of 485, or 22.05 percent, taught fulltime.

Meanwhile, enrollments have gone from 7,195 in the fall and 6,398 in the spring of 1998 to 9,351 in the fall of 2007 and 8,663 in the spring of 2008.

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