Live on Zoom

The State of Faculty Development in 2026

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM –2:00 PM ET

What the Data Reveals About Faculty Support, Workload, and Institutional Strategy

Join us for a webinar exploring key insights from NCFDD’s State of Faculty Development in 2026 report, based on responses from more than 1,000 faculty and academic leaders.

The findings reveal a growing gap between the rising importance faculty place on professional development and the level of institutional support available. As workloads increase, research funding becomes more uncertain, and AI reshapes teaching and scholarship, faculty expectations and needs are changing quickly.

What You’ll Learn

During this session, we will explore insights from NCFDD’s national survey and discuss:

• The widening gap between faculty development needs and institutional investment
• How changing expectations and pressures are reshaping faculty work
• The types of support faculty say they need most, including writing groups, mentoring networks, and leadership development
• What institutions can do to better support faculty success and sustainability

Who Should Attend

This webinar is designed for:

• Academic leaders and administrators
• Faculty development professionals
• Department chairs and deans
• Faculty interested in understanding current trends in faculty support

Register now to learn what the data shows and what it means for institutions seeking to better support faculty success.

Facilitator:
Joy Gaston-Gayles, PhD

Dr. Joy Gaston Gayles is Head of the Educational Leadership, Policy, & Human Development Department and Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professor in the College of Education at North Carolina State University. Dr. Gayles is internationally recognized for her research and scholarship on women and people of color in STEM fields and her work in intercollegiate athletics. Issues of equity, inclusion, and justice undergird the collective body of her work. Dr. Gayles is a primary thought leader in her field. In 2022, she was named one of 25 innovative women leading higher education in DIVERSE: Issues in Higher Education magazine. She served as the 2022 President of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), the primary association for studying post-secondary education issues. Her presidential address, Humanizing Higher Education: A Path Forward During Uncertain Times, is published in the Review of Higher Education.

Panelists:
Robert Dearth, PhD
Dr. Robert K. Dearth, since stepping into the role of Interim Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs in September 2024 and officially assuming the permanent position on January 1, 2025, has applied a results-oriented, strategic approach to advancing faculty leadership at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Dearth is a seasoned academic strategist with a proven track record of driving institutional change. Now, as Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Dr. Dearth is spearheading initiatives that strengthen faculty success across all career stages. Dr. Dearth’s dual lens as a scientist and administrator enables him to navigate the complex landscape of higher education with both vision and precision. His work reminds us that meaningful academic leadership is not only about advancing scholarship—it's about cultivating environments where people, ideas, and purpose thrive.

Lakia M. Scott, PhD
Dr. Lakia M. Scott is Assistant Provost for Faculty Development at Yale University, where she leads university-wide initiatives that support faculty success across the academic life cycle—from recruitment and inclusive hiring to mentoring and advancement. With more than twenty years of experience in education, her work focuses on strengthening institutional structures that cultivate thriving faculty communities and support long-term faculty development and retention. Dr. Scott collaborates with faculty leaders, department chairs, deans, and cabinet-level administrators to design programs that promote effective mentoring, inclusive academic cultures, and sustainable career pathways for faculty.

Walter Parrish, PhD
Walter P. Parrish III, PhD is the Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he leads institution-wide efforts to recruit, retain, and advance faculty across ranks and strengthen faculty success and organizational culture. He also serves as an affiliate assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. Dr. Parrish earned his PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His scholarship examines faculty workplace experiences, organizational dynamics, and workforce equity in higher education, including recent research on academic bullying and its impact on faculty well-being and institutional effectiveness. His work has appeared in Teachers College Record, Academic Medicine, and the Western Journal of Black Studies.