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2009 Fall National Meeting Report

COUNCILOR TALKING POINTS

SUMMARY OF GOVERNANCE ACTIONS/REPORTS

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

238^th ACS NATIONAL MEETING

WASHINGTON, DC

AUGUST 16-20, 2009

The following summary is provided to help Councilors report to their local sections and divisions on key actions and discussions of the ACS Council and Board of Directors at the 2009 fall national meeting.

ACTIONS OF THE COUNCIL

Election Results

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to the Council the following slate of candidates for membership on the Committee on Committees beginning in 2010: G. Bryan Balazs, Dawn A. Brooks, Victoria L. Finkenstadt, Wayne E. Jones, Jr., John M. Long, Les W. McQuire, Ingrid Montes, Douglas J. Raber, Frankie K. Wood-Black, and Steven W. Yates. By electronic ballot, the Council elected G. Bryan Balazs, Dawn A. Brooks, Les W. McQuire, Ingrid Montes, and Frankie K. Wood-Black for the 2010-2012 term.

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to the Council the following slate of candidates for membership on the Council Policy Committee beginning in 2010: R. Gerald Bass, Alan B. Cooper, M. Elizabeth Derrick, Thomas R. Gilbert, Lydia E. M. Hines, Willem R. Leenstra, Sally B. Peters, and Carolyn Ribes. By electronic ballot, the Council elected M. Elizabeth Derrick, Thomas R. Gilbert, Willem R. Leenstra, and Carolyn Ribes for the 2010-2012 term.

· The Council Policy Committee presented to the Council the following slate of candidates for membership on the Committee on Nominations and Elections: Roger F. Bartholomew, Dwight W. Chasar, Milagros Delgado, Kevin J. Edgar, John W. Finley, Martin L. Gorbaty, Sharon P. Shoemaker, Walter O. Siegl, Herbert B. Silber, and Ellen B. Stechel. By electronic ballot, the Council elected Dwight W. Chasar, Milagros Delgado, Kevin J. Edgar, Sharon P. Shoemaker, and Ellen B. Stechel for the 2010-2012 term.

Candidates for President-Elect and Board of Directors

· The candidates for the fall 2009 ACS national election were announced as follows:

President-Elect 2010

Nancy B. Jackson, International Chemical Threat Reduction Department

Manager, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM

Cheryl A. Martin, Currently on sabbatical; former Corporate Vice President and

General Manager, Rohm and Haas Company, Philadelphia, PA

Mary Virginia Orna, Professor of Chemistry, College of New Rochelle,

New Rochelle, NY

Directors-at-Large - 2010-2012

Dennis Chamot, Associate Executive Director, Division of Engineering and Physical

Sciences, National Research Council, Washington, DC

H. N. Cheng, Research Chemist, US Department of Agriculture, New Orleans, LA

Ray A. Dickie, Retired, Ford Motor Company, Efland, NC

Valerie J. Kuck, Retired, Lucent Technologies, Montclair, NJ

Howard M. Peters, Retired, Peters, Verny, LLP, Palo Alto, CA

Director, District I - 2010-2012

D. Richard Cobb, Senior Research Associate, Eastman Kodak Company,

Rochester, NY

Neil D. Jespersen, Professor of Chemistry, St. Johns University, Jamaica, NY

Director, District V - 2010-2012

Judith L. Benham, Retired, 3M Company, St. Paul, MN

Peter K. Dorhout, Vice Provost, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

Petitions

(For Action)

· The Council received two amendments to the ACS Constitution and Bylaws for action: The Petition on Candidate Selection by Member Petition – (to be considered for Urgent Action) and the Petition on Election Timelines and Procedures 2009.

o The Petition on Candidate Selection by Member Petition proposes to permit candidates to be selected by a petition process from members. To be considered for urgent action, the petition required a ¾ affirmative vote. After considerable discussion, a vote to consider the petition at the 2009 fall meeting FAILED. Absent urgent action, the Petition on Candidate Selection by Member Petition will now be up for action at the 2010 spring meeting of the Council.

o Next, the Council discussed in great detail the Petition on Election Timelines and Procedures 2009. This petition proposes to shorten certain election timelines and change petition candidates (who go straight on the ballot if they obtain enough signatures) to petition nominees (who need to be screened by Council along with other nominees chosen by the Committee on Nominations and Elections). After rejecting a request to have a recorded vote, the Council VOTED to recommit the petition to the Committee on Nominations and Elections with instructions. Following this action, N&E sought input through a nonbinding survey to help guide their revisions. A revised petition will likely be up for action at the 2010 spring Council meeting.

(For Consideration)

· The Council received one petition for consideration: the Petition on Admissions Committee. This petition removes the Admissions Committee from the Bylaws and transfers its functions to the Council Committee on Membership Affairs. Action is expected on the petition at the 2010 spring meeting.

Committee Review

· As part of a regular performance review, the Council VOTED to continue the Committees on Chemical Safety, Minority Affairs, Chemical Abstracts Service, Technician Affairs, and Analytical Reagents. Continuing the first three committees requires Board of Directors concurrence.

Registration Report and 2010 National Meeting Registration Fee

· As of August 19, 2009, the ACS fall national meeting had attracted 14,319 registrants. This was the largest Washington meeting in history. Totals in select categories are as follows: Regular attendees 8,575; Students 3,159; Guests 462; Exhibit Only 676; and Exhibitors 1,447. In keeping with the objective of the National Meeting Long Range Financial Plan, previously approved by the Board of Directors and Council, the Meetings and Expositions Committee recommended to the Board an increase of $10 for the 2010 national meeting registration fee. The Board will act on this recommendation shortly.

Membership Activity

· The provisions of the Petition on Membership Categories and Requirements were fully implemented this past June with the transfer of former Student Affiliates to Student Member status, and Associate Members to regular Member status. As of July 31, the Society had 9,732 Student Members – 6,500 of them former Student Affiliates and more than 3,000 of them new Student Members.

Dissolution of the Division of Chemical Technicians

· At the 2009 spring Council meeting, the Divisional Activities Committee (DAC) reported that it had voted to accept a recommendation from the Division of Chemical Technicians (TECH) that the division disband and to recommend this action to Council in the fall. On recommendation of DAC, as recommended by TECH, the Council VOTED to disband the Division of Chemical Technicians effective December 31, 2009. DAC agreed that TECH has accomplished its mission of enhancing the status of technicians in the American Chemical Society, and now they are integrated into the other technical divisions.

Changes to Charter Bylaws for New Local Sections and International Chemical Sciences Chapters and Bylaws for Divisions in Probationary Status

· The Council VOTED to accept changes to charter bylaws for new local sections and international chemical sciences chapters, and bylaws for divisions in probationary status. These changes, which were developed in cooperation with the Committees on Divisional Activities, Local Section Activities, and International Activities, are a result of changes to the Constitution and Bylaws made as a result of the Petition on Membership Categories and Requirements, which became effective on June 30.

ACTIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board Committees and Task Force Actions

· The Board of Directors VOTED to approve nominees for the 2010 Perkin Medal and the Alan T. Waterman Award. The Perkin Medal, awarded by the American section of the Society of Chemical Industry to a scientist residing in the US, recognizes innovation in applied chemistry resulting in outstanding commercial development. The Alan T. Waterman Award, presented by the National Science Foundation, recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering.

· The Committee on Public Affairs and Public Relations announced the designation of “Dip-and-read Tests for Blood and Urine Glucose” (work of Al and Helen Free) as a National Historic Chemical Landmark. The committee also reported on its approval of a new healthcare policy statement, received from the Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs.

· The Board VOTED to approve an action recommended by the Committee on Professional & Member Relations to accept with minor revisions the key terms contained in a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ACS and the Royal Society of Chemistry. The MOU: a) offers an opportunity for the ACS and RSC to develop and distribute a “primer,” both in hard-copy and electronic format, to provide the wider population with a basic understanding of the chemistry underlying issues related to sustainability; b) provides a series of joint seminars in the UK, US and elsewhere with participation by scientists, media and decision-makers to focus on sustainability; and c) supports collaboration on activities that train scientists to address issues relating to sustainability and other global challenges in non-technical, readily understandable communications.

· On the recommendation of the Committee on Budget and Finance, the Board VOTED to fund a new program (Science Coaches) and to reauthorize an existing program (ACS Green Chemistry Institute ^®) in the 2010 budget.

· The Board of Directors received a report from the Board–Presidential Task Force on Education This task force is charged with 1) reviewing recommendations contained in national STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education reports released during the past five years; 2) identifying specific actions that the Society could undertake in response to these recommendations; and 3) creating a priority list of actionable items where the Society can have a unique impact on STEM education. The new Science Coaches initiative was one of the task force’s recommendations.

The Society’s Finances

· In view of the ongoing global recession and its impact of the Society’s finances, the Board received an update on the Society’s current financial position and the projected financial performance for 2009. The Society is projected to end the year with a net contribution from operations of $11.2 million, or $528,000 favorable to the 2009 approved budget. The favorable projection is largely the result of Contingency Plan actions and expense management initiatives implemented in early 2009, which are expected to fully offset revenue shortfalls in the Approved Budget across several categories.

Strategic Issues

· At its retreat held earlier this year, the Board developed a “dashboard,” i.e. a list of possible Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to ACS strategic progress. At this meeting, a Board task force presented a draft dashboard for review. The Board agreed to continue this discussion at its December meeting.

The Executive Director/CEO Report

· The Executive Director/CEO, along with several of her direct reports, updated the Board on the activities of the Publications Division, Chemical Abstracts Service, and the Society’s General Counsel (including the Leadscope litigation). As a part of the Publications report, the Board VOTED to approve the re-appointment of three journal editors.

Compensation of Society Executive Staff

· The Board received a report from its Committee on Executive Compensation and voted to approve several actions relative to compensation for the Society’s Executive staff. The compensation of the Society’s executive staff receives regular review from the Board.

Other Society Issues

· The Board received a briefing from its Chair on her recent meeting with International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) leaders and plans for the International Year of Chemistry-2011 (IYOC-2011). The Board also was briefed by International leaders from the European Association for Chemical and Molecular Sciences (EuCheMS), the German Chemical Society, the Korean Chemical Society, the Mexican Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Serbian Chemical Society on their strategic directions and on their plans for IYOC-2011.

· With the creation of the ACS Leadership Development System, the Society is now better positioned to create the skilled leadership needed to advance as the world’s largest scientific society and to achieve its mission. In recognition of this achievement, the Board awarded plaques to its Oversight Group on Leadership Development for outstanding work on this major initiative.

The Board received a briefing on a new program to equip ACS members to be more effective spokespersons for chemistry. It is called the Chemistry Ambassadors program, and information may be found at www.acs.org/chemistryambassadors.

COUNCILOR TALKING POINTS

SUMMARY OF GOVERNANCE ACTIONS/REPORTS

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

237^th ACS NATIONAL MEETING

SALT LAKE CITY, UT

MARCH 22-26, 2009

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 2009 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, 2010: Berkeley W. Cue, Jr., Nancy B. Jackson, Cheryl A. Martin, and Dorothy J. Phillips. By electronic ballot, the Council selected Nancy B. Jackson and Cheryl A. Martin as candidates for 2010 President-Elect. These two candidates, along with any candidates selected via petitions, will stand for election in the Fall National Election.

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections announced the results of the election to select candidates from the list of nominees to represent District I and District V on the Board of Directors for the term 2010-2012. Nominees for District I included: D. Richard Cobb, Neil D. Jespersen, Wayne E. Jones, and James L. Kallmerten. Nominees for District V included Thomas J. Barton, Judith L. Benham, Peter K. Dorhout, and John W. Moore. By mail ballot, the Councilors from these districts selected D. Richard Cobb and Neil D. Jespersen as District I candidates; and as District V candidates, Judith L. Benham and Peter K. Dorhout. Ballots will be mailed on or before October 10 to all members in District I and District V for election of a Director from each District.

Candidates for Directors-at-Large

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections announced the selection of the following candidates for Directors-at-Large for a 2010-2012 term: Dennis Chamot, H. N. Cheng, Ray A. Dickie, and Valerie J. Kuck. The election of two Directors-at-Large will be conducted in the fall. Ballots will be mailed to the Council on or before October 10.

Committee Elections

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented Roger F. Bartholomew and Roland F. Hirsch to Council as candidates for election to the Committee on Committees (ConC) to fill a vacancy created by a committee member’s resignation. By written ballot, the Council elected Roland F. Hirsch.

· Candidates Carol B. Libby and Robert A. Pribush were presented to Council for election to the Committee on Nominations and Elections (N&E) to fill a vacancy created by a committee member’s resignation. By written ballot, the Council elected Robert A. Pribush.

Petition to Amend Bylaws

(For Consideration)

· The Council received one petition for consideration: the Petition on Election Timelines 2009. According to the proposing committee, this petition presents election procedure refinements that are intended to provide a fair, consistent, and equitable process, which balances the concerns and needs of participants, as requested by Councilors and candidates. Action is expected on the petition at the fall Council meeting.

Change in Committee Charge

· The Council VOTED to permit the Committee on Chemistry and Public Affairs to amend a portion of its charge from: “a. Identify and analyze legislative, regulatory, research and other science policy issues that impact upon the chemical sciences and technologies” to “a. Identify and analyze legislative; regulatory; research; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education funding; and other science policy issues that impact upon the chemical sciences and technologies.”

The Society’s Finances

· The Council and Board of Directors received extensive briefings on the Society’s finances, which showed that in spite of the economic challenges faced in 2008, the Society’s operating performance held up well. Total revenue was approximately $450 million, up just over 3% from 2007. The Society’s Net from Operations was $9.7 million, and $560,000 favorable to budget. This is the fifth consecutive year of positive operating results.

However, in 2008 ACS was adversely impacted by the historic collapse in the capital markets, which resulted in a sharp decline in the Society’s unrestricted net assets from $212 million at December 31, 2007, to $60 million at December 31, 2008. There were two factors driving this decrease, both related to the poor performance in the capital markets. These are substantial investment losses and a sizable increase in pension liability from the Society’s Defined Benefit Pension Plan. For this and other reasons, action was taken in 2007 to close the Defined Benefit Pension Plan, and, in 2008, to freeze benefit accruals for all Defined Benefit Pension Plan participants in 2009.

It is in this context that the Board received a detailed briefing from management at this meeting on the framework of the 2009 Contingency Plan. In 2006, the Society had the foresight to develop a robust Contingency Plan that contemplated potential threats from many different sources, their probability of occurrence, likely duration and financial impact. The updated 2009 Plan covers all operating and administrative units as well as member programs, and identifies new and emerging threats. ACS management has also updated the mitigation strategies to respond to the threats and ensure the Society’s long-term financial sustainability.

Society management and the Board of Directors are closely monitoring financial performance versus the budget. In addition, significant reductions in discretionary spending have already been implemented and additional cost control measures are under consideration. However, despite the adverse impact of the economic downturn, the Society remains highly liquid with more than $275 million in cash and investments, and limited debt of $30 million.

2010 Member Dues

· After a lengthy discussion and rejection of two amendments, the Council VOTED to set the member dues for 2010 at the fully escalated rate of $145. This rate is established pursuant to an inflation-adjustment formula in the ACS Constitution and Bylaws. The vote was 348 to 70.

Member Statistics

· At the close of 2008, Society membership totaled 154,024, compared to 160,052 for year-end 2007. In 2008, ACS completed the transition of its 15 year-old membership fulfillment system to a new, more robust system. The year-end 2008 membership numbers reflect a drop in membership of approximately 2% due to the economy and a correction to the counts of 2,589 Emeritus members whom ACS has not been able to reach for many years. Compared to its sister societies, ACS experienced a smaller loss of members in 2008.

Special Discussion Item

· A special discussion item was again put on the Council agenda for this meeting. ACS President Thomas H. Lane invited the Chair of the Committee on Membership Affairs to present the results of a Councilor survey as a preface to the discussion on what can ACS do to attract new members while better serving our membership during these challenging economic times. Following the presentation, President Lane led Councilors in a lively discussion that focused on the value of ACS membership and on growth opportunities among students, international scientists, high school teachers, technicians, diverse ethnic groups and others.

Attendance Report

· As of March 25, 2009, the ACS spring national meeting had attracted 10,668 registrants as follows: Regular attendees 5,781; Students 3,439; Exhibitors 780; Exposition only 411; and Guests 257.

Professional Employment Guidelines

· The Council VOTED to approve the Professional Employment Guidelines, as submitted by the Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs. These guidelines offer a broad spectrum of recommended practices in employment for professional scientists and their employers.

ACTIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Committee Actions

· The Board received reports from its Executive Committee, Committees on Grants and Awards (G&A), Committee on Planning, and the Committee on Professional and Member Relations (P&MR).

On the recommendation of the Committee on Grants and Awards, the Board VOTED to delegate oversight authority for the new ACS Fellows Program to G&A. G&A also presented the Board with a screened list of nominees for the 2010 Priestley Medal and the Volunteer Service Award. The Board VOTED to accept the committee’s lists and agreed to announce the winners of the 2010 Priestley Medal and the Volunteer Service Award after its June meeting.

On the recommendation of the Committee on Professional and Member Relations, the Board VOTED to amend its Regulations to reflect P&MR’s responsibility to review and approve requests for international alliances under delegated authority from the Board. The Board also VOTED to eliminate the requirement that an individual have a Pubs/CAS subscription authentication in order to be eligible for participation in the Network as an ACS global partner.

The Executive Director/CEO Report

· The Executive Director/CEO, along with several of her direct reports, updated the Board on the activities of Chemical Abstracts Service, the Publications Division, and the Society’s General Counsel. The Board VOTED to approve a co-editor appointment and two reappointments of journal editors.

Compensation of Society Staff

· On the recommendation of the Committee on Executive Compensation, the Board VOTED to approve several actions relative to compensation for the Society’s executive staff. The compensation of the Society’s executive staff receives regular review from the Board.

Other Society Issues

· The Board was briefed by its working group monitoring the 2009 Plan for Continuous Improvement. This plan, which currently includes four broad topic areas and subtopics, is designed to enhance overall Board effectiveness.

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