The origins of the faculty development movement in higher education can be traced to the mid-1970's, when low retirement rates were virtually eliminating career mobility for professors, and changes in student demographics, educational settings, and instructional methods required many faculty members to alter their usual teaching practices. Private foundations and the Federal Government began funding organized faculty development programs emphasizing instructional development and teaching improvement. In the early 1980's, reduced clerical support, reduced travel budgets, massive amounts of deferred maintenance, as well as a decrease of about 13% in faculty earning power, triggered the formulation of a new faculty development paradigm. This paradigm draws upon social-psychological theories of adult socialization to provide more holistic development activities. The New Jersey Department of Higher Education, for example, has proposed a statewide initiative to strengthen college faculty through far-reaching efforts, including an Institute for Collegiate Teaching and Learning located on a state college campus. A case study of faculty development activities at Brookdale Community College (New Jersey) revealed four basic levels of activities: (1) formally organized activities, including a Faculty Development Committee and 21 sub-committees; (2) a Center for Educational Research; (3) contractual arrangements, such as the sabbatical; and (4) informal activities, such as workshops and seminars. The best approach to faculty development programs appears to be a multifaceted, flexible one balancing individual and corporate activity. Teaching improvement programs should be handled with sensitivity, and faculty must feel the program to be their own, and not imposed upon them by an administration or outside agency. (JMC)