Report from Council (2006 Fall Meeting)

At the traditional continental breakfast before Council a couple of weeks ago at the Fall Meeting of the ACS in San Francisco, there were actually tables for Councilors to sit at, unlike previous meetings. President Nalley had a pretty good idea — to have a Member of the ACS Board of Directors sit at each of the tables and engage Councilors in dialog. The problem was that the Board Member at my table wasn’t exactly Mr. Talkative. However, he did have on a very nice suit and his table manners were impeccable. Council itself was substantially more eventful than the breakfast. Immediate Past Presidient Bill Carroll gave yet another memorable address — his last to Council — bringing Council to their feet and tears to President Nalley. Hoping to set a precedence for the maximum number of terms served on the Board, Jim Burke chose not to run for a fourth term and gave his last address to Council. He, too, got a standing ovation, although it was somewhat less spontaneous than Bill Carroll’s. The Big news, though (at least to me), was that two petition candidates — Yorke E. Rhodes and James A. Walsh — will be on the ballot in addition to the two candidates for president who were nominated by the Committee on Nominations and Elections (CNE) and chosen by vote of Council (Bruce E. Bursten and Bassam Z. Shakhashiri,). Not coincidentally, the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws (where I am an Associate Member), worked on a petition prepared by CNE that would substantially increase the number of signatures a petition candidate must obtain to be on the national ballot. At the District II Caucus, many Councilors voiced opposition to this petition, even though it was only presented at Council for consideration. I will likely vote against this petition when it comes up for vote at Council because it is designed to take power to nominate away from membership and consolidate it within CNE. Kent J. Eistentraut was mentioned along with the other, recently deceased councilors. It is comforting that my own death will at least be acknowledged somewhere.

The following is a white-bread summary provided by ACS staff.

ACTIONS OF THE COUNCIL

Election Results

The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to Council the following slate of nominees for membership on the Committee on Committees for the 2007-2009 term: Theodore M. Brown, H. N. Cheng, Milagros Delgado, Alan M. Ehrlich, Roland F. Hirsch, Neil D. Jespersen, Melanie J. Lesko, Vincent M. Mautino, Les W. McQuire and Charles F. Rowell. By written ballot the Council elected H. N. Cheng, Milagros Delgado, Neil D. Jespersen, Les W. McQuire and Charles F. Rowell.

The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to Council the following slate of nominees for membership on the Council Policy Committee for the 2007-2009 term: Martha L. Casey, Dwight W. Chasar, M. Elizabeth Derrick, Thomas R. Gilbert, Joe W. Hightower, Barbara J. Peterson, Robert A. Pribush, and H. David Wohlers. By written ballot the Council elected Martha L. Casey, M. Elizabeth Derrick, Thomas R. Gilbert and Joe W. Hightower.

The Council Policy Committee presented to the Council the following slate of nominees for membership on the Committee on Nominations and Elections: V. Dean Adams, G. Bryan Balazs, Merle I. Eiss, Marie G. Hankins, Charles P. Rader, Barbara A. Sawrey, Sharon P. Shoemaker, Herbert B. Silber, Ellen B. Stechel and Don B. Weser. By written ballot the Council elected Merle I. Eiss, Barbara A. Sawrey, Sharon P. Shoemaker, Herbert B. Silber and Ellen B. Stechel.

Candidates for President-Elect and Board of Directors for the Fall 2007 National Election

President-Elect 2007

Bruce E. Bursten, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Yorke E. Rhodes, Retired - New York University, New York

Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, University of Wisconsin, Madison

James A. Walsh, Retired - John Carroll University, Florida

Directors-at-Large – 2007-2009

William H. (Jack) Breazeale, Jr. College of Charleston, South Carolina

Dennis Chamot, National Research Council, Washington, D.C.

Peter K. Dorhout, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins

Paul R. Jones, University of North Texas, Denton

Valerie J. Kuck, Retired - Bell Labs, New Jersey

Dorothy J. Phillips, Waters Corporation, Massachusetts

Marinda L. Wu, Science is Fun! Company, California

Petitions for Consideration

The Council received three petitions for consideration: Petition on Election Procedures 2006; Petition on Multi-Year Dues; and a Petition on Rules for Nominating Members of Nominations and Elections for National Offices. A brief discussion ensued on the Petition on Rules for Nominating Members of Nominations and Elections for National Offices. Action is expected on these petitions at the 2007 spring national meeting in Chicago.

Committee Review and Committee Change in Status

As part of a regular review, the Council VOTED to continue the Committee on Public Relations and Communication, the Committee on Environmental Improvement, and the Committee on International Activities subject to concurrence by the Board of Directors. The Council also VOTED to support the request of the Committee on Community Activities that its status be changed from an “other committee” of the Board to a joint Board-Council Committee. The purpose of the Committee on Community Activities is to improve the public perception of chemistry by providing programs to connect chemists with their communities.

Governance Review

The Council received a report from the Council Policy Committee on activities related to Governance Review. The Board-CPC Governance Review Task Force generated 23 ideas following initial interaction with the Board, Council, Committees and other interested members. A joint meeting of the Board of Directors and CPC was held at this meeting to prioritize the 23 ideas into three categories: to advance the idea as worthy of further consideration by the cognizant committee and/or interested groups; to refine the idea which will be sent back to the Governance Review Task Force for further consideration; or to place the idea in a “stop” category as an idea that will receive no further consideration as part of the governance review. Councilors received a listing of the 23 ideas organized into the three categories as prioritized jointly by the Board and CPC.

Registration Report and 2007 National Meeting Registration Fee

As of September 12, 2006, the ACS fall national meeting had attracted 15,603 registrants. Totals in select categories are as follows: Regular attendees 9,373; Students 3,350; Guests 510; Exhibit Only 504; and Exhibitors 1,666. The Committee on Meetings and Expositions reported that national meeting financial targets continue to be met, and therefore recommended to the Board of Directors that there be no increase in national meeting registration fees for 2007.

The Society’s Membership

The Committee on Membership Affairs reported that through August 2006, a record 12,137 new applicants have been added to the Society’s membership, and that the Member-Get-A-Member campaign is well on its way to the goal of 1,000 new members in this year.

Special Discussion Item

A special discussion item was again put on the Council agenda. The discussion focused on ensuring the American Chemical Society’s future by engaging younger members throughout the Society’s volunteer leadership. ACS President E. Ann Nalley framed the discussion by presenting the results of a councilor survey on the topic and many councilors offered useful comments and suggestions.

Review of the Chemical Professional’s Code of Conduct

The Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs submitted its latest version of the Chemical Professional’s Code of Conduct for Council review. It offers guidance for Society members in various professional dealings, especially those involving conflicts of interest.

ACTIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board’s Committees and Task Forces

The Board of Directors voted to recommend a nominee for both the 2007 Perkin Medal and the 2007 Othmer Gold Medal. The Perkin Medal, the highest award of the Society of Chemical Industry, is awarded for outstanding contributions to American industrial chemistry. The Othmer Gold Medal recognizes a chemical scientist of multiple talents and achievements and is awarded by the Chemical Heritage Foundation. The Board also received a report from the ACS Petroleum Research Fund Steering Committee. The Steering Committee has been charged with developing a set of focusing proposals that will be important to the future success of the Fund.

On the recommendation of the Board Committee on Professional and Member Relations, the Board voted the following:

To approve revisions to the Guidelines for Society Cosponsorships with other organizations;

To proceed with “phase one” plans to arrange the 2008 ACS/AIChE joint meeting, which involves working within the framework of the cosponsorship guidelines, engaging the support of the relevant technical divisions, and developing a suitable budget;

To approve the request for cooperative cosponsorship of Pacifichem 2010, to be held December 14-19, 2010, in Honolulu, Hawaii, contingent upon approval of an acceptable budget for the conference.

The Board received and expressed support for a report presented by its Contingency Planning Working Group. The Contingency Planning Working Group was charged with developing a set of actions that could be undertaken if risks became reality for the Society. The Board’s Task Force on the Timing of Committee Appointments also presented a report. This task force was asked to review the timing of committee appointments and seek opportunities to engage the Board Chair and President earlier in the appointment process. The Board also discussed plans for a third conference in Malta entitled, Frontiers of Chemistry III: Research and Education in the Middle East and agreed to recommend inclusion of $50,000 for this meeting in the 2007 budget. The conference will take place in December 2007.

The Society’s Mission

On the recommendation of the Committee on Planning, the Board voted to adopt a revised ACS mission statement: “To advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people.”

Your faithful Councilor, Steve Trohalaki