Â鶹¹ú²úAV

By David Simpson

Ask Norman Hoffmann, 64, what he gets out of being an adjunct faculty member and he'll explain that after a career as a business executive, he relishes the chance to connect with students. He'll say that he likes sharing his fascination with finance.

He'll say that preparing for class helps him stay in touch with the business world.

And one more thing.

"Like a rock star, I get to put on a show," Hoffmann says. "And my enjoyment derives from the engagement, involvement and reaction of my audience of students."

The professional challenges faced by adjunct faculty have been well documented in academic journals. For this article, the Center for Faculty Development interviewed three highly regarded Â鶹¹ú²úAV adjuncts about the positive side of their role.

Hoffmann came to college teaching after a career with Landmark Community Newspapers, Landmark Target Media, Trader Publishing Co. and Dominion Innovations.

For 10 years he has taught a graduate course on mergers and acquisitions at Â鶹¹ú²úAV, the College of William & Mary, or the University of Utah. For the past three years at Old Dominion, he has taught undergraduate courses on business policy and strategy, and new venture development. He holds an MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Thanks to his business experience, he can offer students practical perspectives on academic topics. That same background gives him credibility with learners, he says.

He endorses the carrot-and-stick approach.

"The content should be both enticing and nutritious," he says, "but students must be compelled to complete each week's assignments."

So he uses memorable graphics in his PowerPoints while relying on case studies from the business world to illuminate key concepts and analytical techniques. He strives to be as entertaining as possible while asking direct questions and requiring every student to participate.

That approach has paid off.

"The highlights of my teaching career," Hoffmann says, "revolve around students relating how they were challenged and engaged by my courses."

Chris Pearcy, 32, might be one of the best known, or at least most heard, adjuncts at Â鶹¹ú²úAV.

Every spring and fall, wearing sash and kilt, he shows up with his bagpipes at Webb Center and pipes the graduates across campus to their ceremonies.

And since spring 2016 he has taught History 102: Interpreting Europe in a World Setting.

He says of his classroom role, "I do enjoy the interaction with students and challenging them on 5,000 years of history in 15 weeks. But what I really like is I almost feel like a student again. I've always specialized in the modern era, so going over ancient and medieval history is a treat."

He finds that interacting with learners helps them succeed.

"That applies to a myriad of circumstances: speaking one on one or collectively in class about assignments, research, writing, historical interests, or what J.J. Abrams has in store for Episode IX" of "Star Wars."

Pearcy suspects he will continue his education but isn't sure what direction he will take.

"I would love to be full-time faculty someday," he says. "That's the ultimate dream."

For now, he must supplement his adjunct pay by working elsewhere. Pearcy has taught secondary school in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake and worked in museums and archives as a docent, educator and archivist.

"I've always tried to get a well-rounded background for all things history," he says.

His interest indirectly led him to take up the bagpipes at age 18. It was Pearcy's history teacher at Virginia Beach's Kellam High who introduced him to the pipes.

In fact, that mentor, Lt. Col. Jeff Christman (U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.), performs with his protégé at Â鶹¹ú²úAV's commencement. Playing such tunes as "Scotland the Brave," they lead the graduating seniors across campus to the Ted Constant Convocation Center.

"I often see some of my students in line, whose faces are beaming, happily ready to graduate," Pearcy says.

"It's always nice to congratulate them on their epic journey."

Unlike Hoffmann and Pearcy, Corinne Wilson, 35, does her instructing online.

Currently, she is teaching Elementary Statistics (STAT 130) and Introduction to Probability and Statistics (STAT 330).

Adjunct status in the department of mathematics and statistics suits her, she says, because it allows her to continue teaching while working full-time as a data analyst.

"I love teaching," she says. "I love to share my passion for data and statistics ..., helping students understand the logic behind an approach to solving a problem, and the light bulb that goes off when connections are made."

Wilson holds a Ph.D. in computational and applied mathematics from Â鶹¹ú²úAV.

She feels that it is not enough for students just to learn how to apply methods to a given problem. So she uses a Relevance Café discussion forum throughout the semester in her courses and looks for current news articles that incorporate statistics.

One forum highlights the , which was started to investigate what the public knows and doesn't know about global patterns and macro-trends.

"In the era of 'fake news' this topic is a good discussion starter for students in my classes," Wilson says.

A highlight of her academic career was seeing a learner pass her course on the third attempt. The student had a disability that made math courses especially tough. Numbers just didn't make sense, and her short-term memory had trouble storing figures.

When many students would have quit, she didn't.

"She persevered and pushed harder than I have ever witnessed," Wilson says, "spending hours in my office and countless hours at home."

The student finished the semester with a passing grade.

"She said that it was my encouragement and support to not give up that got her through.

"That was my proudest moment as a teacher."

At Â鶹¹ú²úAV, adjunct faculty come from diverse backgrounds. Scholars have classified them into a number of categories: specialists who return to the university to share their professional expertise; free-lancers who carve out a career teaching at many different colleges and/or universities; retirees who enjoy the classroom environment and come to teaching after a career elsewhere; recent graduates hoping to acquire the experience to secure full-time employment in academia; and graduate students who teach as part of their assistantships. Adjuncts contribute to a significant part of the educational mission at Â鶹¹ú²úAV, and we recognize their work and energy.