The AFA is being paused, not eliminated.
The pause applies to regular AFA activities for one academic year. The College intends for the association to return to ACC’s shared governance structure for the 2027-28 academic year following a review and restructuring process.
Adjunct faculty remain part of shared governance.
The pause does not suspend adjunct faculty participation in shared governance. Adjunct faculty may continue to attend department meetings and may be selected as voting members of their departments in accordance with Administrative Rule 2.0703.03, Adjunct Faculty Participation in Shared Governance.
Adjunct faculty will also continue serving on collegewide committees and councils.
During the AFA pause, Academic Affairs will serve as the intermediary between adjunct faculty interested in serving and the chairs of shared governance committees and councils. An interest form was created and shared with adjuncts to facilitate those appointments. Adjuncts have been seated on committees and councils, and the shared governance website is being updated to show them.
The College believes the AFA needs structural changes to be effective and sustainable.
Concerns have emerged regarding the association’s governance structure, including unclear bylaws, uneven representation, and challenges with effective operations. Previous efforts to address these concerns did not fully resolve them. The one-year pause creates an opportunity for a more comprehensive review rather than continuing to address individual issues within the existing structure.
Representation is an important part of the review.
ACC’s adjunct faculty are not a single, uniform group. They teach across disciplines and programs, bringing a wide range of professional and personal circumstances to the College. Some areas, including professional-technical programs, historically have been underrepresented in AFA leadership. The review will consider how the association can better represent the breadth of ACC’s adjunct faculty community.
The review will include direct engagement with adjunct faculty.
Academic Affairs plans to gather input through an adjunct faculty survey, focus groups, campus drop-in opportunities, and virtual office hours. Additional opportunities may be developed throughout the academic year.
This is intended to strengthen shared governance, not diminish it.
ACC remains committed to maintaining an organized voice for adjunct faculty within its shared governance system. The purpose of the review is to ensure that voice is representative, sustainable, and positioned to advocate effectively for adjunct faculty.
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