Mission Statement: The Mid-Atlantic Teaching Faculty Alliance (MATFA) is dedicated to supporting and advancing the work of non-tenure-track, teaching-focused faculty across the Northeast. Our mission is to create a vibrant community where teaching excellence is at the forefront. We aim to enhance the pedagogical skills, share best practices, and foster professional growth for educators committed to impactful teaching. Through collaborative efforts and resource sharing, MATFA seeks to elevate the teaching experience and contribute to the academic success of our students.
History: In 2020, Rutgers Camden full-time non-tenure track faculty formed a working group to discuss policy changes to create a more sustainable and equitable academic system for education-forward faculty who are off the tenure track. Recognizing the modern challenges institutions of higher education have experienced, the group identified that this growing population of faculty are uniquely well-positioned to not just excel at teaching, but also grow curricula, develop and/or lead programs, conduct discipline-based education research, apply for large education-focused grants, and pioneer the education mission of a university. In doing so, they hoped to decrease the negative stigma against education-focused faculty, reduce isolation, and develop more resources for thriving in this career path. These initial conversations led to successfully competing for a Mutual Mentoring Grant that funded the launch of the first annual “Off the Tenure Track” conference at Rutgers Camden in New Jersey in 2024 where more than 50 faculty across the Philly-area convened to share ideas and inspire each other’s efforts on this career path. The presenters at this conference later launched the Mid-Atlantic Teaching Faculty Alliance.