Recognizing Transformation: Attributes of Successful Departments and Benefits of Participation in the PULSE Recognition Program

The Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE) Recognition Program plays an important role in the overall work of PULSE. From our initial founding through our efforts today, PULSE Fellows involved in the Recognition Program have worked from the premise that there is value in providing summative and comparative assessment of departmental movement toward change. From our external vantage point as persons invited into departments that are engaged in self-reflection and purposeful work toward transformation, we have been able to observe ingredients found in successfully positioned departments. In an interview with PULSE Fellows who have guided departments through the Recognition Program process, we consider the question: “What are the key attributes of departments that are successfully transforming?” We will share our observations from more than a decade of work.