This paper is about what works in undergraduate science and mathematics and about reforming undergraduate science and mathematics education so that it works, and works better, in a world that is changing. Just as the world is changing, so must the nation's colleges and universities. First, there must be a community that values excellence in teaching and scholarship and is committed to the reform of undergraduate education. In addition, this community must be ready to commit to changes that constitute systemic reform. More than ever before, individuals and organizations must cooperate if their objectives are to be achieved.
Walls still exist between disciplines, between academic units, between institutions.
These walls are ill-suited to educating the many different individuals seeking preparation for a vast array of personal and professional goals. We have not succeeded in effectively linking teaching, research, and our knowledge of how students learn. Colleges and universities have failed to prepare adequately for the new ways of learning that we are beginning to foster at the pre-college level. All sectors of the undergraduate community, as divers as they are, must work together to establish how such systemic change should come about. Our task as a community is a daunting one.