"Vision and Change," a publication by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, has illustrated the need for curricular change within biology departments across the nation. Yet despite this apparent need for change, many institutions have been slow to move for a number of reasons, perhaps most significant among them is a general reluctance to modify what appears to have worked in the past. Here we describe the process of curricular change that occurred in the Biology Department of Elmhurst College in the suburbs of Chicago. This process required approximately 10 years from beginning to end and involved an update of the mission statement, revision of the lower level core course sequence, and reorganization of our upper level courses with a common assignment related to the goals of our department. The revised curriculum integrates all core competencies described in the "Vision and Change" document and, we believe, will better prepare our students for varied careers in the biological sciences.