A new NCFDD survey reports that institutions are pulling back investment in faculty professional development even as faculty say it has become more important. In the 2026 State of Faculty Development Survey, more than two-thirds of faculty reported professional development growing in importance over the past year, while more than 70% said their institutions reduced funding. The survey found faculty most urgently need support in areas like well-being and mentoring, yet only about one in 10 reported strong institutional investment in those areas. NCFDD described these cuts as a broader risk to teaching quality and faculty capacity during a period of funding instability, enrollment shifts, and rapid AI-enabled instructional change. The report argues that higher education is repeating the austerity pattern of cutting where it can least afford—training and development for faculty who drive education and research. For institutional leaders, the findings point to a governance and budgeting issue: maintaining faculty development is becoming a strategic necessity rather than a discretionary benefit.