Over the years, the Chronicle has changed how it identifies part-time faculty members.

During the 2023 part-time faculty strike, students were often confused about whether their instructors were part-time or full-time. That distinction mattered because part-time faculty were on strike. At Columbia, full-time faculty are not represented by a collective bargaining union, though some are members of the college’s American Association of University Professors chapter. 

To make our reporting as clear as possible, the Chronicle adopted the term “part-time instructor” at that time for employees who taught at the college on a part-time basis.

After reviewing our style, student editors have decided to update the Chronicle Stylebook and use “adjunct faculty” in future coverage. We believe the term is accurate, easily understood by readers and more closely reflects terminology commonly used across higher education.

As always, our goal is to provide readers with reporting that is clear, accurate and consistent.

Copy edited by Katie Peters