American Chemical Society
251st ACS National Meeting
San Diego, California
March 13 – 17, 2016
The following summary is provided to help Councilors report to their Local Section and Division on key actions of the ACS Council meeting held March 16, and Board of Directors meetings held March 11-13, at the 2016 spring national meeting in San Diego, California.
Actions of the Council
Election Results
Candidates for President-Elect, 2017
- The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to the Council the following nominees for selection as candidates for President-Elect, 2017: Peter K. Dorhout, Thomas R. Gilbert, C. Bradley Moore, and Gregory H. Robinson. By electronic ballot, the Council selected Peter K. Dorhout and Thomas R. Gilbert as candidates for 2017 President-Elect. These two candidates, along with any candidates selected via petitions, will stand for election in the Fall National Election.
President-Elect, 2017
|
Nominee |
1st Choice |
2nd Tabulation |
|
Peter K. Dorhout |
263 |
- |
|
Thomas R. Gilbert |
113 |
290 |
|
C. Bradley Moore |
6 |
- |
|
Gregory H. Robinson |
58 |
123 |
- Peter K. Dorhout received a majority of the first-preference votes cast, and was declared a candidate for President-Elect 2017. The second-preference votes from his ballots were distributed to the remaining nominees.
- C. Bradley Moore had the fewest number of first-preference votes, and was eliminated. The second-preference votes from his ballots were distributed to the remaining nominees.
- The redistribution of second-preference votes to the remaining nominees resulted in Thomas R. Gilbert receiving a majority and he was also declared a candidate for President-Elect 2017.
Candidates for Districts II and IV
- The Committee on Nominations and Elections announced the results of the election held prior to the San Diego meeting to select candidates from the list of nominees to serve as Directors from District II and District IV on the Board of Directors for the term 2017-2019. By internet ballot, the Councilors from these districts selected George M. Bodner and Christina C. Bodurow as District II candidates; and Rigoberto Hernandez and Larry K. Krannich as District IV candidates. Ballots will be distributed on September 29, 2016 to all ACS members in District II and District IV for election of a Director from each District.
DISTRICT IIa
|
Nominee |
1st Choice |
2nd Tabulation |
3rd Tabulation |
|
*Hernandez |
29 |
29 |
34 |
|
*Krannich |
22 |
24 |
25 |
|
Ritchie |
7 |
8 |
- |
|
Streusand |
4 |
- |
- |
DISTRICT IVa
|
Nominee |
1st Choice |
2nd Tabulation |
3rd Tabulation |
|
*Bodner |
20 |
20 |
24 |
|
*Bodurow |
14 |
17 |
23 |
|
Urasa |
3 |
- |
- |
|
Woodall |
14 |
14 |
- |
a The results of the first preference vote totals are shown in the 1st choice column. No candidate attained a majority. Following the procedures approved by Council, second-preference votes were distributed in subsequent rounds. Those marked with an * were declared elected.
Candidates for Directors-at-Large
- The Committee on Nominations and Elections announced the selection of the following candidates for Directors-at-Large for 2017-2019 terms: Joseph A. Heppert, Kristin M. Omberg, Dorothy J. Phillips, and Kathleen M. Schulz. The election of two Directors-at-Large from among those candidates and any selected via petition will be conducted in the fall. Ballots will be distributed to the Council on September 29, 2016.
Other Council Actions
2017 Member Dues
- The Council voted to set the member dues for 2016 at the fully escalated rate of $166. This rate is established pursuant to an inflation-adjustment formula in the ACS Constitution and Bylaws.
Academic Professional Guidelines
- After approving an amendment (see box below) to the proposed revised Academic Professional Guidelines (Council Agenda, pp. 75-89), the Council approved the revised guidelines, subject to approval by the Board of Directors. The guidelines apply to those members of the academic community whose job function impacts directly or indirectly on scientists practicing the profession of chemistry.
The Department
B. Responsibilities to Students
6. Physical Facilities. The department should maintain work with the administration to ensure maintenance of its building(s) and equipment holdings in the highest quality condition possible. Building use policies and equipment contained therein should be updated regularly.
- Council Agenda, p. 85
Resolutions
- The Council passed resolutions in memory of deceased Councilors; in gratitude for the officers and members of the San Diego Local Section, host Section for the 251st National Meeting; the divisional program chairs and symposium organizers; and ACS staff.
Highlights from Committee Reports
Online Preference Forms for Councilors
All Councilors, including new Councilors, are reminded to complete their online committee preference form for 2017 committee assignments, which will be open from March 28-June 10, 2016 at https://www.yellowbook.acs.org (log in required).
Nominations and Elections
The Committee on Nominations and Elections solicits Councilors’ input of qualified individuals for President-Elect and/or Directors for future consideration. Suggestions may be sent to nomelect@acs.org. N&E has established the Vote 20/20 Task Force, charged with examining all aspects of nominations and elections for ACS national offices, and designing an enhanced process to be in place by the year 2020. The committee welcomes ideas from all members as to how nominations and elections should be handled. Send comments to vote2020@acs.org
Budget and Finance
In 2015, ACS generated a Net from Operations of $16.6 million, which was $3.2 million favorable to budget. Total revenues were $511.7 million, essentially on budget. Expenses ended the year at $495.1 million, which was $3.1 million or 0.6% favorable to budget. This variance was attributable to a continued emphasis on expense management across the Society. The Society’s financial position strengthened in 2015, with Unrestricted Net Assets, or reserves, increasing from $144.7 million at December 31, 2014 to $163.3 million at year-end 2015.
Additional information can be found at www.acs.org, at bottom, click ‘About ACS’, then ‘ACS Financial Information’. There you will find several years of the Society’s audited financial statements and IRS 990 filings.
Membership
As of December 31, the ACS membership was nearly 157,000, which is 0.96% less than on the same date in 2014. The number of new members who joined in 2015 is 25,000. The Society’s overall retention rate is 84%. The committee also reported that the number of international members has increased to 26,022. That number is 965 higher than in December of 2014. The international growth rate is 3.85%.
Revisions to the Chemical Professional’s Code of Conduct
The Chemical Professional’s Code of Conduct, which can be found on pages 72-74 of the Council Agenda, is being revised. Councilors are asked to please submit all comments and revisions to careers@acs.org before April 30 in preparation for possible action in Philadelphia.
Early Member Registration Fee
In compliance with the National Meeting Long Range Financial Plan and the recommendations of the 2015 Task Force on Implementing National Meeting Financial Targets, the Committee on Meetings and Expositions has recommended that the Early Member Registration Fee for the 2017 national meetings be $440. The Board will vote on this recommendation later this year.
San Diego Meeting Attendance
As of Tuesday evening, March 15:
Attendees 8398
Students 5979
Exhibitors 1094
Expo only 473
Guest 383
Total 16,327
Petitions to Amend Constitution and Bylaws
New petitions to amend the Constitution or Bylaws must be received by the Executive Director no later than May 4 to be included in the Council agenda for consideration at the fall 2016 meeting in Philadelphia. Contact C&B with any questions or requests for information at bylaws@acs.org
Actions of the Board of Directors
The Board’s Executive Session
The ACS Board of Directors met March 11 - 12, 2016, and considered a number of key strategic issues and responded with several actions.
Board Development
ACS is a large, highly complex, global organization, with two major businesses – Chemical Abstracts Service and ACS Publications – and a significant professional membership organization component. The Board sets aside substantial discussion time at each meeting for the most important strategic issues facing the Society.
Strategic Issues and Retreat
The Board held a conversation focused on strengthening the process utilized for strategic issues discussions, and a discussion on timing and topics of a possible facilitated retreat for all Board members during 2016. Also, the Board is committed to development and discussed ways to continuously improve its effectiveness in the service of ACS as individual board members, and as a collective body.
The Board’s Committees
The Board received input and discussed reports from its Committees on Grants and Awards, Executive Compensation; and the Joint Board-Council Committee on Publications.
On the recommendation of the Committee on Grants and Awards, the Board voted to approve an endowment to support the E. Bright Wilson Award in Spectroscopy.
Also on the recommendation of the Committee on Grants and Awards, the Board voted to approve language to be included in the guiding documents for the National Awards and Fellows Program to allow for the rescission of national awards and the ACS Fellows designations where reasonable grounds exist.
The Board received an extensive briefing and approved several recommendations from its Committee on Executive Compensation. The compensation of the Society’s executive staff receives regular review from the Board.
On the recommendation of the Joint Board-Council Committee on Publications, the Board voted to approve the reappointments of Editors-in-Chief for two ACS journals.
The Executive Director/CEO Report
Executive Director and CEO Thomas M. Connelly, Jr. discussed ACS membership programs, reviewed the Information Technology area, and offered personal reflections on his first year as Executive Director and CEO. His direct reports updated the Board on the activities of Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), the ACS Publications Division, the Office of the Treasurer and CFO, and the Society’s Secretary and General Counsel.
Presidential Succession
The members of the Presidential Succession briefed the Board on their current and planned activities for 2016. President Donna Nelson highlighted presidential programming at the San Diego meeting on employment and diversity in the chemical sciences, and on organic chemistry education. Also, a special discussion topic on the U.S. Employment of Chemists will be conducted at the Council meeting.
The Board’s Open Session
The Board held a well-attended open session which featured Amy Harmon, a reporter for the New York Times, who covers the social implications of science and technology. Ms. Harmon’s topic was “Telling Science Stories: Dispatch from the Conflict Zone.”
Prior to the presentation, members of the presidential succession and the Executive Director and CEO offered brief reports on their activities. The officers provided more extensive reports on their activities and/or future plans as part of their written and oral reports to the Council.
Contact the Board
Your Board of Directors is elected by and acts in the best interests of the members of our Society. Please contact them with your comments, concerns, ideas, and suggestions at secretary@acs.org.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR COUNCILORS
The following is a list of URLs or email addresses presented in reports or on slides at the Council meeting.
Donna Nelson, President djnelson@ou.edu
Allison Campbell, President-Elect a.campbell@acs.org
Diane Grob Schmidt,
Immediate Past President d.schmidt@acs.org
Budget and Finance www.acs.org à About ACS à ACS Financial Information
Career Navigator www.acs.org/careernavigator
Chemists with Disabilities www.acs.org/cwd
Committee on Education chemidp.org
Committee Preference Forms https://www.yellowbook.acs.org
ConC Subcommittee on Diversity www.acs.org/conc àCommittee Information
Constitution and Bylaws bylaws@acs.org / www.acs.org/bulletin5
Highlights of ACS Achievements www.acs.org/acshighlights2015
Local Section Activities www.acs.org/getinvolved
Nominations and Elections nomelect@acs.org
Office of Secretary & General Counsel secretary@acs.org
Online Information for Councilors http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/about/governance/councilors.html