A while back, I taught graduate and undergraduate classes in the Askew School as an adjunct professor. I think I was paid between $2,500 and $3,000 per full-semester class. That was the going rate then, likely slightly higher now. I didn’t teach for the money. It was fulfilling to share my experience and knowledge with students who would soon be in the workforce, and many who already were.
I was in a professional role that enabled me to teach, and, frankly, I gained as much, if not more, than my students did. I actually miss teaching-it is very rewarding.
I have, on occasion, guest-lectured and often brought in outside practitioners who added valuable perspectives to the classes.
The current kerfluffle about a statewide elected official being paid an exorbitant amount to teach a single class is puzzling to me as a long-time participant and observer of the process. If I were to teach again, it would offer at least one class’s worth of discussion on public ethics, conflicts of interest, and the public accountability of elected officials.
Times change. People in power change. University trustees change. Our ethical standards should not change.
