In September 2011, the Association of American Universities launched a major initiative to improve undergraduate STEM education. The overall objective was to influence the culture of STEM departments at AAU institutions so that faculty members are encouraged and supported to use teaching practices proven by research to be effective in engaging students in STEM education and in helping students learn. The Undergraduate STEM Education Initiative's intent was to help research universities better assess and improve the quality of teaching in STEM fields by: promoting the use of teaching techniques in STEM classes demonstrated by scholarship to be the most effective at engaging and helping students learn; encouraging universities and STEM departments to better evaluate, recognize and reward faculty members for the quality and effectiveness of their teaching; and facilitate the creation of an effective network for disseminating and sharing best practices in undergraduate STEM education reform and classroom based educational improvements. (Additional funding for this report was provided from Elsevier and Research Corporation for Science Advancement.)