An adjunct professor is typically a part-time academic appointment given to seasoned professionals or experts from outside the university. Unlike full-time faculty, they are brought in to share real-world knowledge, teach specialised modules, mentor students, and advise on curriculum. The title exists to enrich learning by exposing students to perspectives drawn from actual industry practice, not just theory.
But in Malaysia, the role is being rampantly misused. Many universities now treat adjunct professorships as a marketing tactic, handing them to influential names, not for their teaching contributions, but for the prestige they lend to a brand. The appointments often come with staged ceremonies, VIP-filled talks, and plenty of photos for social media. The best part is this. The very students these adjuncts are supposed to serve are often sidelined.
These universities should know better. Adjunct professorship is not the right marketing tool. The university’s management may believe that attaching high-profile figures to their brand will attract new student intakes, but prestige without substance does little more than create glamour shots. It does not improve employability, academic rigour, or the student experience. Over time, it risks eroding trust. That’s because students can tell when they’re being sold hype instead of substance.
The real opportunity is far richer. Imagine an adjunct professor spending time every semester mentoring student start-ups, reviewing portfolios, or challenging final-year projects with insights from industry. That kind of engagement doesn’t trend on Instagram, but it gives students the edge they need for the real world, and that is what truly sets a quality university apart.
Universities in Malaysia need to make a choice. They can either keep using adjunct professorships as PR props or reclaim their real value as engines of industry-academic collaboration. If you’re appointing adjunct professors for the cameras, you’re doing it wrong.
