MARCH 13-17, 2005

The following summary is provided to help councilors report to their local sections and divisions on key actions of the ACS Council and Board of Directors at the 2005 spring national meeting.

ACTIONS OF THE COUNCIL

Election Results

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to the Council the following nominees for selection as candidates for President-Elect, 2006: Pat N. Confalone, Catherine T. Hunt, John W. Kozarich, and Cynthia A. Maryanoff. By written ballot the Council selected Catherine T. Hunt and John W. Kozarich as candidates for 2006 President-Elect. They join George E. Heinze, who was certified as a petition candidate for 2006 President-Elect.

Candidates for Directors-at-Large

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections announced the selection of the following candidates for Directors-at-Large for a 2006-2008 term: James D. Burke, Edwin A. Chandross, C. Gordon McCarty, and Frankie Wood-Black. The election of two Directors-at-Large will be conducted in the fall, with ballots mailed to the Council on or before October 10.

Committee Review

· As part of a regular review, the Council VOTED to continue the Committee on Project SEED. The Committee on Project SEED oversees the Society’s summer educational experience program for disadvantaged youth.

In the past Dr. Jeff Seyler at USI has obtained Project SEED grants to support high school students in the summer. If anyone can identify students that qualify (need financial assistance), this program can help recruit bright but financially disadvantaged students into chemistry.

Proposal for a Committee on Ethics

· The Committee on Committees presented to Council a proposal for establishing a Committee on Ethics as an Other Committee of the Council. The charge of this committee would be as follows: To coordinate the ethics-related activities of the Society, serve as an educational resource and clearinghouse, but not as an adjudication body, for ACS members seeking guidance on ethics issues; raise awareness of ethics issues through meeting programming and columns/editorials; review recognition opportunities for acknowledging ethical behavior; and to develop and oversee such other ethics-related activities as will serve ACS members and promote the Society’s standards of ethical conduct within the profession of chemistry and its related disciplines. After defeating a motion to assign the proposed duties of the committee to the Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs, the Council VOTED to establish a Committee on Ethics as an Other Committee of the Council.

Registration Report

· As of March 15, 2005, the ACS spring national meeting had attracted 15,385 registrants as follows: Regular attendees 8,372; Students 4,160 (undergraduate and graduate); Exhibitors 1,624; Exposition only 628; and Guests 601.

Member Statistics

· Membership in the American Chemical Society was 158,127 as of year-end 2004. Compared to the previous year, this represents less than a 1% decrease. In 2004, more than 13,000 new members were added to the rolls.

Petition for Consideration

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections withdrew a petition on election procedures. The committee plans to offer additional changes to the Society’s election procedures and introduce a new petition at the fall national meeting.

Special Discussion Item

· A special discussion item was put on the Council agenda for this meeting. ACS President William F. Carroll presented an overview of Chemistry Enterprise 2015, posing the question, “Where will our students come from in the next ten years, and where will they go?” Councilors then participated in a lively discussion of this issue. The issue was framed as follows: Currently the U.S. has a strong university system and U.S. graduate education in science is widely recognized as the best in the world, but problems loom on the horizon. In addition, a variety of factors in the nation’s academic infrastructure are likely to produce change in the training and careers of new chemists. The discussion at Council intensified awareness of this issue and possibilities for solutions.

Two major issues:

Globalization of the work force – many jobs in chemistry are going overseas – concern over declining job opportunities in this country

Education – providing qualified chemistry teachers at the high school level (certification issues)

Attracting bright young people into chemistry – education at all levels.

Another point – Undergraduate chemistry majors are attending graduate school in fields such as Material Science. The ACS must devise some mechanism for attracting these young people. They are no longer “chemists” by definition. Considerable discussion is taking place concerning the requirements for membership in ACS.

2006 Member Dues

· The Council VOTED to set the member dues for 2006 at the fully escalated rate of $127.

ACTIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Special Temporary Assessment

· In December 2002, the Board of Directors enacted a special temporary assessment to cover the costs of increased funding for divisions and local sections, as stipulated in the Petition for Division and Local Section Funding, which was subsequently approved by the ACS Council, Board, and membership in March 2003. The Board accepted the temporary assessment with the understanding that it would be reviewed each year to determine whether it could be reduced. The Board reviewed the temporary assessment for 2006 and, in light of the Society’s strong financial performance, VOTED to reduce it to $5, rather than proceeding with the scheduled $6 assessment.

The Society’s Current Finances and Financial Future

· The Committee on Budget and Finance reported that the Society ended 2004 with a net contribution from operations of $5,099,000 on revenues of $419,200,000 and expenses of $414,700,000. This was $3,628,000 favorable to the approved budget. After including the results of the Belmont Conference Center, recorded as a discontinued operation, (ACS sold the Belmont Conference Center) and the Member Insurance Program, the Society’s overall net contribution for 2004 was $4,465,000, which was $3,229,000 favorable to the approved budget.

· The Board reviewed and VOTED to accept several recommendations from the recent Financial Planning Conference held January 2005. The purpose of this conference was to provide a comprehensive assessment of the Society’s financial position; to review the appropriateness and adequacy of the Society’s current financial guidelines; and to assess the Society’s changing risk profile and the potential implications on major ACS funding sources over the next three years.

The Board’s Committees and Task Forces

· The Board received a screened list of candidates from the Committee on Grants and Awards for the 2006 Priestley Medal and the Volunteer Service Award. The Board will announce the two winners at its June meeting.

· The Board, through its Committee on Professional and Member Relations (P&MR), reviewed the approval process for recurring meeting cosponsorship requests and VOTED to streamline and simplify the process. The Board also VOTED to authorize P&MR to approve requests where ACS seeks the cosponsorship of other organizations.

· The ACS/AIChE governance-to-governance task force and the ACS/AIChE Joint Membership task force have concluded formal discussions and have agreed on several points. At this meeting, the Board VOTED to discharge both task forces with thanks.

The Society’s Staff

· The Board received a report from the Executive Director/CEO and several of her direct reports on the status of the Society’s website project, special issues associated with Chemical Abstracts Service and the Publications Divisions, the Green Chemistry Institute, and the activities of the General Counsel. The Board also reviewed and approved several recommendations from the Committee on Executive Compensation relative to compensation for the Society’s executive staff. The compensation of the Society’s executive staff receives regular review from the Board.

The Society’s Publications

· The Board VOTED to approve the appointment of an editor for a new Society journal, ACS Chemical Biology. ACS Chemical Biology is scheduled to debut in 2006.

ACS Governance Review

· The Board of Directors VOTED to support the creation of a Joint Board-Council Policy Committee Task Force on Governance Review with the charge to conduct a review of the Society’s governance structure and Constitution and Bylaws to ensure that the Society has a governing framework to enable it to best fulfill its mission, meet member needs, and remain a world-class organization.