Adjunct Essentials
Welcome to (or welcome back to) Montclair State University! The Office for Faculty Excellence is excited to work with you and provide opportunities for teaching and professional development. We invite you to take advantage of our programs, workshops, consultation services, and discussion groups–many of which can be accessed remotely, in recognition that adjunct faculty’s time on campus is often limited.
Adjunct Orientation
All new adjunct instructors are required to attend a 75-minute online orientation provided by OFE in collaboration with the Montclair Adjunct Union. The orientation covers the essential details of working and teaching at Montclair, and connects new adjuncts with a faculty developer in OFE and to other new adjunct instructors. Bring your questions!
Please register for an adjunct orientation session using your montclair.edu email or a personal email address: Adjunct Orientation Sessions and Registration. New to Montclair and starting in a summer session prior to July 2026? Please look for a welcome letter from OFE via email with instructions for fulfilling the orientation obligation and/or contact faculty@montclair.edu.
Practical details
Adjunct faculty often work at several institutions or come from the professional world, and need to know basic things about Montclair, from where to park and get an ID card, to University policies and the academic calendar. To help you find what you need fast, OFE has compiled essential Practical Information. If you are new to teaching at Montclair, please visit our New Instructor Info page.
This resource is part of OFE’s 360 Degree Support for Adjuncts initiative which seeks to connect adjuncts with the information and support you need, helping you to feel like the essential members of the Montclair State University community that you are.
OFE’s Adjunct Support
Our staff features faculty developers who work or have worked as adjunct faculty and understand the adjunct experience.
Adjunct Liaison: Courtney Crimmins is faculty developer in OFE and has many years of experience as an adjunct. As OFE’s Adjunct Liaison, Courtney serves as a special point of contact in the office for adjunct faculty. She coordinates OFE and the Adjunct Union’s joint Adjunct Orientations, sends bi-weekly “OFE Adjunct Check-In” newsletters with timely information about upcoming events and resources tailored to adjunct faculty on campus, and facilitates the weekly “Just for Adjuncts” series. Courtney also offers individual consultations to adjunct faculty.
“Just for Adjuncts” series: We are here to support adjunct faculty as you navigate the joys and challenges of teaching. During the fall and spring semesters, we offer weekly rotating drop-in and thematic sessions designed for adjuncts who wish to join an informal conversation about teaching, to ask a quick question, or have a more in-depth conversation on a particular aspect of teaching, while also connecting with other adjuncts on campus. Check our schedule weekly and join us! Recordings of select “Just for Adjunct” sessions, along with other resources, are collected on our Professional Development and Resources for Adjuncts webpage.
Adjunct Research and Professional Development Fund: Professional development funding is available for eligible adjunct faculty to support research and professional growth. The University has allocated $10,000 annually to assist adjunct faculty who have completed at least four (4) semesters of employment and remain eligible to teach in the following semester. Further details, deadlines, and link to the application are available on the Adjunct Research and Professional Development Fund webpage.
Montclair Teaching course: OFE offers a moderated asynchronous, at-your-own-pace mini-course, Montclair Teaching, that introduces instructors to the University and reviews supportive pedagogies, syllabus and assignment design, and lesson planning. Both new and returning instructors may find it useful. Interested? Self-enroll here.
One-on-one consultations: Talk through a teaching issue or brainstorm a professional development plan; our faculty developers are available to meet with you! Consultations are no-judgment and confidential. Sign up here.