The landscape of faculty development is undergoing a period of significant structural tension, characterized by a growing divergence between the support faculty require and the resources institutions are currently providing. As institutional funding for professional development continues to decline—with over 70% of faculty reporting cuts in the past year—the traditional university-led support models are proving insufficient to meet the rising demands of an increasingly complex academic environment. In response, faculty are shifting away from institutional-led workshops and professional learning and instead building their own informal continuing education through peer and social networks.
This trend highlights a critical inflection point for the tenure-track and tenured experience. While formal university networks are utilized by only 30.9% of faculty for support, 64% now rely on self-organized communities to navigate the challenges of the tenure track, including grant acquisition, manuscript completion, and the preservation of work-life balance. Yet at the same time, the data suggests that faculty development is no longer an optional extra but rather an essential infrastructure for maintaining teaching quality and research productivity.
Institutions that fail to bridge this support gap risk further eroding the conditions that sustain a thriving academic workforce. To remain competitive and supportive, colleges must move toward more sustainable, scalable models that prioritize the specific needs faculty have identified: writing accountability groups, mentorship cohorts, and leadership training. For those navigating the tenure stream, the current reality necessitates a proactive approach—leveraging these grassroots communities not just as a survival mechanism, but as a strategic asset for long-term career success while also insisting that institutions provide the internal support needed for academic excellence.
By acknowledging that institutional systems are currently lagging behind, faculty can better reclaim a sense of agency, utilizing peer-driven accountability to stay on track for promotion while maintaining their professional well-being.
The 2026 State of Faculty Development in Higher Education Survey Report
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