During the past four decades, researchers have studied many of the factors contributing to higher education's efforts to provide opportunities of continued professional development for its most important asset: the college and university faculty. This article examines three research projects, detailing their methodology, highlighting selected findings, and attempting to draw conclusions about collective wisdom related to providing effective and high-quality faculty development opportunities. The three studies are: (1) the Exxon study conducted by John Centra in 1976; (2) the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (POD Network) Study of 2001, conducted by Mary Deane Sorcinelli, Ann Austin, Pamela Eddy, and Andrea Beach; and (3) Faculty Development Practices in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, conducted in 2009 and 2010 by C. William McKee, Mitzy Johnson, William F. Ritchie, and W. Mark Tew.