There was a major university that was requesting volunteer adjunct law professors last year. They quickly pulled it though after taking heat in the media.
I realize that U of the People is a bit different, but generally, this trend of dangling opportunity to gain experience as a volunteer strikes me as a strong indicator that we're approaching terminal oversupply of doctorate holders/would-be university adjuncts, and the institutions are smelling blood in the water.
Well, although that ship sailed long ago. I know a number of people who have done pro bono work for University of the People. Not everyone does it for the experience, though, some do it because they know that most of their students are in economically developing societies and they simply want to help them.
My guess is that this practice started right around the time the legendary Baby Boomer generation all began to hit retirement.
No, no, no. Working for the University of the People is charity work for a good cause, and distinguished because EVERY professor is a volunteer. I don't know what they pay professors at Tulane, but Glassdoor says the average USA professor is bringing in about $97k. No one is naive enough to believe that by volunteering for a few terms that the university will suddenly value them enough to offer a full salary position.
There are literally tens of thousands of online adjuncts with advanced degrees barely scraping by - "volunteers" which are used specifically in place of adjuncts will cause harm. One tactic already used by universities is to overstock the adjunct pool; volunteers would be yet another tool along with salesforce big brother software that monitors the adjunct's work production i.e. number of posts, timing, etc. etc. UoP is clearly trying to skirt labor laws, it is a legal entity just like any other non profit university, it gets it funding from somewhere and pays its administraors.
As an ICF-certified coach (PCC), I do a lot of pro bono coaching. But I don't do it for my experience. I do it when and where it is needed. So I'm formally with one charity and I coach three people from one of the professional societies of which I am a member. Frankly, none of these people would have a coach otherwise--it's not bringing down the profession by de-valuing its practice. I would treat teaching the same way. Glad to do it for free in certain situations, but not as a rule.
I am not sure if uotp is different. Uotp’s excess cash is paid into a private management company. If it paid it employees there will be less excess cash paid into its management company.
There are niche specialists who’ve marketed themselves and automated their ‘product’, that they’re making solid careers from stringing together multiple adjunct gigs. Most people who attempt to earn a full time employment equivalency, from stringing together multiple part time positions.... struggle, even with advanced degrees.
