Psychology Department Adjunct Information
1. Joining the adjunct pool.
A. Send a cover letter to Psych Secretary Jane Lehman (lehmanj@newpaltz.edu). Jane will add you to our database and start a file for you. In your letter, delineate your teaching interests, academic experiences, teaching philosophy, and career goals.
B. Send Jane any and all unofficial transcripts (with the idea that you may be asked to send official transcripts at a later point upon hire)
C. Have three letters of rec sent to Jane.
2. What to do upon being hired.
A. Work with Jane to fill out relevant paperwork.
B. Note that the pay is just about 3K per course (plus, possibly, a modest mileage allowance for individuals traveling far; contact Jane for information if you think this might apply to you).
C. Google textbooks related to your course (via both google and amazon) and contact publishers of academic books (examples; McGraw Hill, Prentice Hall, etc.) for “free desk copies.” When you have chosen a book, contact the bookstore on campus to order (lnussbaum@nebook.com).
D. Prepare a syllabus that includes course objectives, readings, assignments, policies, and a calendar – here’s an example of mine, if this helps:
http://www.newpaltz.edu/%7Egeherg/classes/fall08/syl307.doc
E. Submit a syllabus for your course before the semester starts (to Jane). And ask Jane if you’d like examples of syllabi for the course you’ll teach from past offerings.
F. Jane will also help set you up regarding access to office space, psychology space, parking, computer / BlackBoard / network / Email access, ID Card, etc. And ask Jane for orientation regarding the photocopier and our supplies (e.g., whiteboard markers).
3. Who we are.
The Psychology Department at New Paltz is, by many counts, the most active department on campus in the domain of student/faculty scholarship. We take undergraduate education very seriously and we pride ourselves on providing an education that is among the strongest in the behavioral sciences found in colleges and universities across the nation. As such, we hold very high standards for our adjunct faculty. We require that our adjunct faculty have their courses formally evaluated and we expect all our faculty to have a teaching philosophy that clearly facilitates pedagogical development.
Note that under some conditions if our needs are compelling, I’ll put out multiple prompts to see if there is interest in teaching a course – sometimes opportunities disappear quickly based on response (and I apologize for conditions in which this becomes disappointing).
Don’t ever hesitate to contact me with any questions about the process – I’m here to help. And thanks for your service to our students.
Genuinely,
Glenn Geher, Chair, Psychology; geherg@newpaltz.edu
