---
title: The Cool Day Jobs of UMD’s Adjunct Professors
date: 2023-10-05T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/the-cool-day-jobs-of-umds-adjunct-professors"
section: Articles
---
# The Cool Day Jobs of UMD’s Adjunct Professors

*October 5, 2023* — by [Annie Krakower](/author/annie-krakower)


> How 5 Lecturers Bring Real-World Expertise to the Classroom

*Adjunct 1920x1080 — About 450 professionals with full-time jobs off campus teach classes across UMD, bringing real-world expertise to students. Adjunct faculty members include Washington Post reporter David Betancourt (left), author of "The Avengers Assembled: The Origin Story of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes," and NASA engineer Brent Barbee (right), who recently worked on the DART asteroid redirection mission.*

In between days spent defending the Earth from asteroids, teaching jujitsu, studying crime scenes and excelling at hundreds of other vocations, experts across the Baltimore-Washington area come to the University of Maryland to do it some more.

As adjunct faculty, around 450 professionals teach part-time on campus, sharing current professional practices in their fields, extending the ranks of faculty in the schools and colleges, and lending the prestige of their often high-profile employers to the university.

“Our adjunct faculty are invaluable members of our university community. Their dual roles as dedicated educators and active professionals enrich our classrooms with practical insights and skills,” said Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice. “This union of academia and real-world application equips our students with a comprehensive understanding of their disciplines, positioning them for success beyond graduation.”

In return, adjuncts can find fresh motivation to stay current in their skills, supplement their income, get a jolt of energy from their students, recruit candidates for internships and jobs in their offices, and pass along their passions to the next generation.

“To work with college-age kids who want to learn and want to be there, and to see the benefits even in a short semester is wonderful,” said Ken Klotz, a senior kinesiology lecturer and sixth-degree black belt who owns two karate studios. “I’m thankful that over the years, I hear back from people saying, ‘I really got a lot out of your class.’ That just means so much.”

Here’s how five lecturers spend their time outside the classroom—and how they bring their real-world experiences back into it to help students learn:


*Brent Barbee wearing a headset*



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*David Betancourt headshot*



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*Cara Grant headshot*



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*Michael Prakhye headshot*



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*Amber Wendland headshot*




**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [Aerospace Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/aerospace-engineering), [Architecture](https://today.umd.edu/topic/architecture), [Journalism](https://today.umd.edu/topic/journalism), [Kinesiology](https://today.umd.edu/topic/kinesiology), [Information Science](https://today.umd.edu/topic/information-science), [Student Experience](https://today.umd.edu/topic/student-experience)


**Units:** [A. James Clark School of Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/james-clark-school-engineering), [College of Information](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-information-studies), [Office of the Provost](https://today.umd.edu/topic/office-provost), [Philip Merrill College of Journalism](https://today.umd.edu/topic/philip-merrill-college-journalism), [School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation](https://today.umd.edu/topic/school-architecture-planning-and-preservation), [School of Public Health](https://today.umd.edu/topic/school-public-health)