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Many of Grand View’s classes are taught by adjunct professors. Each department has the ability to select adjuncts to teach a class part-time to supplement for professors who work for GV full time.

When hiring adjuncts, previous experience is important.

“In particular I look for first, if they’ve taught college before,” Cyndi Wiley, department chair of art and design, said. “And if they have the appropriate credentials. I do like it if they are practicing artists and if they are actively showing work.”

Most adjuncts teach in addition to doing a job relevant to their field while others teach at multiple schools to create a full-time schedule.

Among GV’s adjuncts are Ryan Houlahan, Carrie Carter and Jason Lamping.

Ryan Houlahan

Ryan Houlahan is better known as Des Moines radio personality Ryan Patrick and is the group marketing director of Des Moines Radio Group. Houlahan is teaching a course titled Radio Production and Announcing in GV’s communication department. He has been in the radio industry for 25 years, 11 in Des Moines. He is filling in for a full-time professor on medical leave.

Houlahan said he uses his experiences at Des Moines Radio group as an opportunity to help educate the class.

“In class the past couple weeks there have been some things that we’ve discussed that literally I get research on or I see a paper on.”

Houlahan said he wants to get as much as he can out of being an adjunct.

“My goal is to learn as much from you guys as hopefully you learn from me.” Houlahan said.

Carrie Carter

Carrie Carter is a full-time mom and instructs on the side.

“My field of study has always been criminal justice, psychology and sociology, but my masters is in public administration, so I kind of have an eclectic background.” Carter said.

She teaches one class this semester at GV, Forensic Psychology, and drives over an hour to get to campus.

“I love adjuncting; it allows me to stay researching and relevant in things that pertain to my field,” Carter said. “And also to share my passion for education and furthering the education of others.”

Jason Lamping is a marketing strategy manager at Aureon in West Des Moines. Lamping has taught business classes as an adjunct at GV in past semesters and will continue this semester with an eight-week course beginning in March.

“For many years really, I have had the desire to work with college students. I feel it’s my calling to teach,” Lamping said. “It is something I am very passionate about. Overall, I want to have a positive impact on students.”

Lamping said it is important thing that he brings real world experiences to the classroom so that he will give the students a better understanding in that class.

“I like to show them actual things we do at work,” Lamping said. He does this by incorporating examples from his job into lectures for the students and drawing connections to the concepts studied in the text.