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Across U.S. universities, tenured faculty positions have dwindled, causing some schools to  hire more adjunct instructors at a lower cost. For some, these shaky contracts force frugal living and restrictive classroom messaging.

At local schools like the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, higher ed reporter Emma Folts asks, how does the lack of long-term job security for professors impact teaching, learning and working?

Along with adjunct professors, graduate students at Pitt and CMU are fronting a growing share of the academic workload. In return, they’re asking for a bigger paycheck.

These stories are part of PublicSource's Opening the Books, an investigative series that examines how Pittsburgh's wealthiest universities invest their billions. 

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More professors lack long-term job security. How does that impact teaching, learning and working in Pittsburgh?

As tenured faculty positions dwindle, universities turn to cost-saving adjunct instructors. For some, these shaky contracts force frugal living and restrictive classroom messaging.

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Grad students at Pitt, CMU say their wages aren’t keeping up with rising cost of living

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