The faculty support gap in higher education is real. Over 1000 faculty and academic leaders revealed what faculty need most, and how institutions can help deliver it.
Faculty development is no longer optional infrastructure.
NCFDD’s national survey of 1,098 faculty and academic leaders reveals a growing divergence between what faculty need to remain productive and what institutions are resourcing.
The Shift
Faculty are placing significantly greater value on professional development.
At the same time, institutional investment is declining.
- 71.2% report decreased institutional funding for professional development
- Faculty rated the increased importance of their own professional development at 70.5 on a 0–100 scale
The result is structural tension between rising demand and shrinking support.
Informal Systems Are Absorbing Institutional Strain
When asked where they turn for support:
- 64% rely on peer or social networks
- Only 30.9% rely on institution-wide networks
Faculty are building their own scaffolding.
As one respondent noted:
“Support disappears just as expectations increase.”
Informal support can be powerful, but it is uneven and unsustainable when left unresourced.
The Support Gap
Faculty are clear about what they need:
- Writing and accountability groups: 61%
- Mentoring networks: 59%
- Leadership development cohorts: 48%
In faculty well-being alone, the gap between high need and strong institutional investment is 67.1 percentage points
The data suggest a realignment challenge, not a motivation problem.
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Why This Matters
Faculty development now intersects directly with:
- Research productivity
- Retention and morale
- Leadership continuity
- Institutional resilience
The report frames faculty development as core academic infrastructure under current conditions of funding volatility, workload strain, and AI disruption.
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National data. Clear signals. Strategic implications for provosts and deans.