The ideal, of course, is the world renowned researcher who brings applauding undergraduate students to their feet following a lecture. Very few are able to meet all of those demands and reach acclaim in all facets of the faculty role. But let's assume that the newly hired assistant professor in the late 90s is expected to conduct research or creative activity while becoming an effective classroom teacher. In addition, faculty need to learn how to be better at learning how to balance multiple important responsibilities, work more effectively in groups, and manage time. Don't assume all faculty know how to teach.
Faculty members deserve opportunities to succeed at teaching.
The new Teaching Excellence Center at Iowa State is an example of an opportunity for those faculty who do not feel comfortable with the quality of their teaching or want to become even better to seek help. In this state, institutions of higher education have the only classrooms where the instructor is not required by law to be certified to teach. It is important for universities to realize that classroom teaching, pedagogy, has its own body of knowledge, theories, techniques, and so on. The assumption in the academy is that if you know about something, you can teach it. Students have a variety of learning styles.