Writing and Productivity

Faculty Development Support Is Now Essential for Institutional Stability

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Faculty development support and institutional stability in higher education

For many years, faculty development was positioned as enrichment. Valuable, but optional. Helpful, but not central. Something institutions offered to support individual growth rather than to sustain core academic functions. Findings from the State of Faculty Development 2026 survey suggest that framing no longer reflects faculty reality. Increasingly, faculty describe professional development as necessary support … Read more

Access the Recording: How to Create and Maintain Healthy Boundaries

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How to Create and Maintain Healthy Boundaries Webinar Recording

Facilitator: Lisa Hanasono, PhDProfessorBowling Green State University Build boundaries that support productivity, balance, and long-term success. On-Demand Webinar Recording Feeling stretched thin? Saying “yes” too often? Struggling to maintain balance with students, colleagues, and constant demands? You’re not alone. And you don’t have to keep operating at the edge of burnout. Access the recording of … Read more

The 2026 State of Faculty Development in Higher Education Survey Report

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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 … Read more

Free Research Funding Story Arc Builder

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Funding Story Arc Builder Blog CTA

Turn Your Research Into a Clear, Compelling Funding Story Learn how to communicate your research in plain language that resonates with funders and partners beyond your discipline. Download this free worksheet designed to help faculty turn their research into a story they can use in emails, conversations, proposals, and pitches to non academic audiences. You … Read more

Free Weekly Planning Template

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NCFDD_Weekly_Planning_Template

A Weekly Planning Template Designed for Faculty: Simple, Practical, and Stress Reducing Create more intentional weeks with a 30 minute ritual that helps you protect writing time, stay focused, and reduce overwhelm. Download Your Free Template What You Will Get A free, ready to use Weekly Planning Template created specifically for the realities of academic … Read more

Rethinking Productivity: Why Faculty Need Accountability, Not Just Good Intentions

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academic productivity

At the beginning of each semester, many faculty set thoughtful goals. Finish a manuscript. Restart a stalled grant proposal. Make visible progress on a long-delayed project. The intentions are sincere, and the stakes feel real. Yet as the weeks pass, those plans often slip beneath the weight of teaching, meetings, service, and daily responsibilities. What … Read more

The Loneliness of Academic Life and How to Break the Cycle

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academic support

Author: NCFDD Academic loneliness is more common than many faculty are willing to admit. Academic life is often portrayed as collaborative, intellectual, and community driven. In reality, many faculty describe it as isolating from the earliest stages of graduate school through the years leading to tenure. The pressure to perform, the expectation to manage everything … Read more

Planning for Rest and Recovery: An Agile End-of-Year Reflection

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end of year reflection

Author: Rebecca Pope-Ruark I spend a lot of my time teaching faculty and academic leaders about burnout, which the World Health Organization (2019) defines as “a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” It has three characteristics: exhaustion, depersonalization or cynicism toward those you work with, and real or perceived … Read more

Beyond Burnout: Small Shifts That Help Faculty Recharge and Refocus

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Relaxing

Burnout in higher education is widespread and deeply felt. Faculty are teaching, mentoring, researching, and serving their institutions all at once. The workload rarely slows down, and many academics find themselves running on empty long before the semester ends. What was once fulfilling can start to feel like survival. Recognizing burnout is not a sign … Read more