America's colleges and universities have been moving slowly but steadily away from tenure over the past decade. The American Federation of Teachers reports that community colleges have seen a 22% increase in the number of instructional staff between 1997 and 2007. During that time, the percentage of community college faculty that were full-time tenured or on a tenure track dropped from 21% to 18% while the contingent or adjunct faculty grew from 79% to 82%. The U.S. Department of Education reported in the fall of 2009 that 16% of community college faculty members were employed full time with tenure or were on a tenure track, 16% were full-time and not on tenure track, and a full 69% were part-time. According to John Curtis, director of research and public policy at the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the proportion of faculty off the tenure track has been growing in community colleges, as in other types of institutions, over the last several decades. The author asserts that the tenure as a lifetime expectation is likely to change dramatically.