The changing nature of university work has increased the opportunities and need for academic developers. However, there is a shortage of people to undertake these roles, allied with some uncertainty as to how they are judged and valued. There are some clear tensions that need to be explored and addressed if the field of academic development is to meet the real needs of the sector. This address will explore some of those tensions, particularly with respect to defining what we mean by "academic" development, and how universities are structuring our development agencies. The address will explore the mechanisms by which we prepare academic developers (and academics) and will suggest that the need for more rigorous development of our developers and better clarity as to their functions is necessary.

Keywords: academic development; higher education development; career management; professional development