A good way to start to think of such centers is as the analogues to the weight training rooms of professional athletes. Professionals go there to become stronger and more capable of doing a very difficult and demanding job. Like athletes, teachers engage in an enterprise in which there is no such thing as perfection. There is no teaching so good that it cannot be improved. In short these centers exist to help faculty succeed well in their teaching.
Help is provided in a variety of ways.
Typically, faculty development centers offer and sponsor workshops, provide resources, offer consultation and serve as advocates for good teaching. Faculty development centers are not in the business of judging faculty or entering into the evaluation of individuals for purposes such as salary, tenure or rank. A faculty member approaching a development center for help has every right to expect that help, as well as encouragement and full confidentiality. Strong cohesion between the spheres results in a wonderful university in which to be an employee or a student.