· The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to the Council the following nominees for selection as candidates for President-Elect, 2009: Thomas J. Barton, R. Stephen Berry, Joseph S. Francisco, and Josef Michl. By written ballot, the Council selected Joseph S. Francisco and Josef Michl as candidates for 2009 President-Elect. These two candidates 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 III and District VI on the Board of Directors for the term 2009-2011. Nominees for District III included: Pat N. Confalone, Alan B. Cooper, Catherine C. Fenselau, and Judith A. Summers-Gates. Nominees for District VI included Bonnie A. Charpentier, Gary D. Christian, David M. Dooley, and Dennis L. Lichtenberger. By mail ballot, the Councilors from these districts selected Pat N. Confalone and Alan B. Cooper as District III candidates; and as District VI candidates, Bonnie A. Charpentier and Dennis L. Lichtenberger. Ballots will be mailed on or before October 10 to all members in District III and District VI 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 2009-2011 term: William F. Carroll, Jr., Richard L. Deming, Thomas R. Gilbert, and Marinda Li Wu. 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.
Petitions
(For Action)
· The Council received three amendments to the ACS Bylaws (Petitions) for action: the Petition on Election Procedures for President-Elect and District Director, the Petition on Election Procedures 2006, Part 2, and the Petition on Membership Categories and Requirements.
o The Council VOTED to approve the Petition on Election Procedures for President Elect and District Director. This petition seeks to make the balloting procedure more uniform and to avoid the complications and expense of run-off elections.
o The Council engaged in a lively debate on the Petition on Election Procedures 2006, Part 2, and entertained two motions: a motion to recommit and a motion for a recorded voted. Both motions failed. The Council ultimately VOTED by a show of hands to approve the Petition on Election Procedures 2006, Part 2. This petition standardizes election processes for President-Elect and all Director positions based on percentages of voting members, and increases the number of required signatures.
o The Council also debated the merits of the Petition on Membership Categories and Requirements and ultimately VOTED to approve this petition via a recorded vote. This petition broadens qualifications for membership and creates a new category of student membership. The Board of Directors will vote within 90 days on whether to ratify the approved petitions. The Petition on Membership Categories and Requirements contains changes to the ACS Constitution, and not just the Bylaws. Therefore, these changes must be approved by ACS members in the fall to be valid.
(For Consideration)
· The Council received one petition for consideration: the Petition on Society Affiliate Dues. This petition sets Society Affiliate dues equal to the (full) membership dues, and not subject to any of the discounts otherwise applicable to membership dues. Action is expected on the petition at the fall national meeting.
(Withdrawn)
· The Petition on Local Section and Division Election Procedures was withdrawn. This petition offers resolutions for handling tie votes in Councilor or Alternate Councilor elections in a local section or division.
2009 Member Dues
· The Council VOTED to set the member dues for 2009 at the fully escalated rate of $140. This rate is established pursuant to an inflation-adjustment formula in the ACS Constitution and Bylaws.
The Society’s Finances
· The Society ended 2007 with a net from operations of $9.6 million, which was $2.2 million favorable to the approved budget. This was based on total revenues of $444.2 million and total expenses of $434.6 million. The Society ended the year in full compliance with the Board established financial guidelines.
Attendance Report
· As of April 9, 2008, the ACS spring national meeting had attracted 13,302 registrants as follows: Regular attendees 6,681; Students 4,659; Exhibitors 1,156; Exposition only 374; and Guests 432.
Revision of the Division Funding Formula
· After considerable discussion, the Council VOTED to recommit the revised division funding formula, as presented by the Divisional Activities Committee, to the committee for further action at the fall national meeting.
Local Section Name Change
· The Council VOTED to change the name of the University of Kansas Local Section to the Wakarusa Valley Local Section. Although many of the section’s members work for the University of Kansas, supporters said that the geographically and occupationally diverse interests of the members would be much better represented under the name Wakarusa Valley Local Section.
Member Statistics
· At the close of 2007, Society membership totaled 160,052, despite a net loss of 439 members at the end of the year. Also, 2007 recorded the second highest number of new applications – 16,533.
Academic Professional Guidelines
· The Council VOTED to approve the Academic Professional Guidelines as submitted by the Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs. These guidelines apply to those members of the academic community whose job function impacts directly or indirectly on scientists practicing the profession of chemistry.
Committees Actions
· The Board received reports from the Committees on Grants and Awards, Public Affairs and Public Relations, Professional and Member Relations, and Budget and Finance. On the recommendation of these committees, the Board took the following actions:
o As presented by the Committee on Grants and Awards, the Board received a report on the screened list of candidates for the 2009 Priestley Medal, Volunteer Service Award and Parsons Award. The Board agreed to announce the winners of these three awards after its June meeting.
o On the recommendation of the Committee on Public Affairs and Public Relations, the Board VOTED to approve the tagline “Chemistry for Life” as the central theme of the Communications Strategic Plan and for use on appropriate Society materials.
o On the recommendation of the Committee on Professional and Member Relations, the Board VOTED to adopt the ACS Diversity Partners Program – a three-year pilot program designed to broaden participation in the chemical sciences among diverse and traditionally underrepresented groups.
o On the recommendation of the Committee on Budget and Finance, the Board VOTED to support having the Committee on Education (SOCED) pursue the US hosting of the International Chemistry Olympiad in 2012.
Activities of the Board’s Task Forces
· The Board of Directors received status reports from two of its task forces: the International Strategy Implementation Task Force, and the New Ventures Task Force. The International Strategy Implementation Task Force is charged with implementing the recently approved Society International Strategy, and the New Ventures Task Force reviews new mission-related business opportunities.
· The Board also received updates from two Society initiatives: the Web Presence Initiative and the ACS Leadership Development System (LDS). The newly re-invented ACS website launched September 30, 2007, and features a unifying global navigation and dramatically improved user experience. The LDS offers a comprehensive leadership curriculum that provides practical courses for managing one’s career and tools to more effectively lead ACS volunteer initiatives.
Strategic Mega Challenges
· The Board of Directors recently agreed to devote a significant portion of its meeting to deliberation of strategic mega challenges of importance to chemistry and the American Chemical Society. At this meeting, the Board reviewed its committee infrastructure and VOTED to amend its Regulations to reclassify all Board committees as either Standing or Special Committees. As a follow-up, the Board of Directors met with the Committee on Committees to engage in further discussions on the overall enhancement of ACS committees.
· The Board also spent considerable time deliberating the strategic mega issue – Global Scientific Challenges. In general, global scientific challenges are those areas of concern where chemistry can make a substantial contribution in improving people’s lives. The Board plans to complete its discussions on this topic at the June meeting.
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.
The Executive Director/CEO Report
· The Executive Director/CEO, along with several of her direct reports, updated the Board on the following items: Policy issues for a newly revised IRS Form 990 and the activities of Chemical Abstracts Service, the Publications Division, and the Society’s General Counsel.
Joint Board/Nominations and Elections Luncheon
· Following its regular meeting, the Board of Directors, at the invitation of the Committee on Nominations and Elections, met to enhance their mutual understanding of each other’s needs and processes.