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Adult educators are a growing part of American higher education. Because of their increasing prominence in adult education, it is essential to understand what roles these educators play and what motivates them to remain in the profession despite poor work prospects and conditions. Research to date, however, focuses primarily on the adult learner and not the adult educator. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple-case study was to explore the role and motivation for teaching of adult educators employed as adjunct faculty in an accelerated degree program at a small, liberal arts college in the northwest United States. Purposeful sampling was used to select the five participants for the study. All participants taught in the program for more than five years and were considered to be successful in their positions by peers, students, and administrators. The study employed a preliminary demographic survey to solicit initial background data on the instructors. Other data collection included in-depth, open-ended, face-to-face interviews, document analysis, and classroom observation. The results showed that all five participants identified the following roles and assumed them in the classroom: (a) facilitator, (b) listener, (c) specialist, (d) guide, (e) adviser, and (f) co-learner or colleague. Further results showed that all five participants were motivated to teach in the program for reasons other than monetary compensation. Although participants shared different levels of personal commitment to the institution, they all expressed extensive commitment to teaching, their discipline, and students. Motivating factors for teaching were (a) opportunity to teach part time, (b) love for the subject, (c) opportunity to gain more expertise in the field, (d) opportunity to grow and learn, (e) opportunity to give back, and (f) student success and growth. A major practical implication of this study is that adjunct faculty in an adult education program are motivated to teach for different reasons, but the primary motivation can be seen as altruistic versus monetary and practical. If college administrators want to produce and retain successful adjunct faculty, they must recruit and hire those individuals whose motivation for teaching is altruistic with a desire to enrich the lives of students.

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The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of critical strategies and challenges for shaping Masters' programs in public relations in California universities. Using a qualitative approach, this study reported the findings from Web site review and interviews with leaders at four California institutions offering graduate work in Public Relations. Four primary findings included: (1) Masters' degree programs in public relations fell into a wide range of disciplines and titles. (2) Close connections with industry practitioners strengthened curriculum and assessment. Connections often occurred through the use of practitioners as adjunct faculty, allowing current perspectives on public relations practices and use of media. (3) Experiential learning and authentic activities, both in the classroom and through internships, were critical. (4) Each program was designed to give students both the theoretical foundation and the practical application of the profession. These findings confirmed theoretic frameworks for ideal graduate education programs and professional frameworks from Public Relations Society of America. The study concludes with recommendations for practice. First, a high quality graduate program would include multiple perspectives from diverse faculty and participants. Second, a high quality graduate program would emphasize participatory cultures, incorporating a shared program direction, and a community of learners. The third attribute of a high quality graduate program in public relations would foster a community of learners. Planned breadth and depth course work would be the fourth important element. The last recommendation for developing and sustaining a high quality graduate program would be to attain or pursue adequate resources.