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Adjunct Voices

Stories from men and women on the battle lines of a changing academic world.

Help us document the broad range of diversity in the adjunct experience. If you would like to be considered for our ongoing video series, please send us an email that includes your name, the place or places where you teach, and a summary of your life as an adjunct. Or, pitch your story in video on Instagram.

An Adjunct Wonders When It’s Time to Stop Chasing the Dream

By Ron Coddington November 14, 2013

Joe Fruscione has been trying for years to land a tenure-track faculty job, without success. Now he’s on the verge of giving up. “Enough is gonna be enough when I realize that my chances are sort of dried up to get a full-time position, and that’s when I know I’m done,” explains Mr. Fruscione, an adjunct professor who teaches English literature at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. He adds, “My feelings, if and when I leave, I can already tell they’re going to be bittersweet.” The promise and challenges of a new career outside academe are exciting, he says. But he’ll always wonder if all the years he has spent chasing a dream have been wasted.

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Joe Fruscione has been trying for years to land a tenure-track faculty job, without success. Now he’s on the verge of giving up. “Enough is gonna be enough when I realize that my chances are sort of dried up to get a full-time position, and that’s when I know I’m done,” explains Mr. Fruscione, an adjunct professor who teaches English literature at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. He adds, “My feelings, if and when I leave, I can already tell they’re going to be bittersweet.” The promise and challenges of a new career outside academe are exciting, he says. But he’ll always wonder if all the years he has spent chasing a dream have been wasted.

Video and editing by Greg Kahn; produced by Rose Engelland

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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About the Author
Ron Coddington
Ron Coddington leads the Visuals and Data team at The Chronicle of Higher Education.
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