A reported instructor shortage probably won’t affect the availability of classes this semester.
A recent article in The Bakersfield Californian stated that Bakersfield College had an instructor shortage. However, mathematics chairman Tom Greenwood, speaking about his department, said, “We don’t have a shortage. Maybe we could use part timers to help out with needs, but we definitely do not have a shortage.”
Department Chair for English and ESL Susan McQuerrey also said there is no shortage in her department.
Marketing and Public Relations Director Amber Chiang stated that the purpose of the article was to seek out potential teachers for the future semesters. “We are seeking more instructors to open more classes. We are trying to offer more classes to the students because our enrollment is very high,” Chiang said. “There is no instructor shortage.”
Dean of Student Learning Ed Knudson said, “The article was primarily for summer and for the purpose of creating a pool of instructors for future adjunct openings.”
Because enrollment is very high, BC is hoping to open more classes at the Stockdale High and Delano branches and additional night classes.
This will help out with the need that Greenwood spoke about. Greenwood said, “A need is when the students are requesting if certain classes will be open in a section. It’s when the students are demanding it, not a shortage. These are two different things.”
No classes were closed due to not having an instructor, according to McQuerry. There must be a minimum number of students for the class to stay open.
McQuerry said that there are plenty of teachers in her department. It is fully staffed for this semester, as well as for the fall and summer semesters.
It would have been impossible to hire teachers for this semester within the time frame of the publication of the Californian article.
The chairmen of these various departments were surprised when the article was published. Chair of Physical Sciences Robert Schiffman said, “I was a bit surprised as no one contacted me before the article went to press.”
Greenwood also said, “I wish they would have consulted us first.”
The process to become an instructor at BC varies from each department. Knudson stated that the general process requires that an “application be made out to the college through Human Resources.
The department chair and dean make the hiring decision for adjunct faculty. There is a much more formal recruiting, screening and hiring process for full-time faculty.”
Greenwood said, “In the math department, I look through all the applications, check the transcripts, then contact them and set up an interview, then have a short teaching demo with myself and another faculty member.”
Greenwood said the hardest thing to find is a qualified instructor because the state requires a master’s degree. “That’s why we just can’t hire a high school teacher,” he said.
As of now, all of the positions for instructors have been filled.