Report from Council at the 235th Meeting of the ACS

As I report to you on the goings on at Council at the 235th Meeting of the ACS, I note that some things never change.  For example, there were again no tables at the Council breakfast and no Councilor sprouted a third hand with which to stuff pastry into his mouth while the other two held a plate and cup of coffee.  Another example is that I again picked the two candidates for ACS president — Joseph S. Francisco and Josef Michl — from the slate of four nominees.  Coincidentally, or perhaps not, one of the nominees in his address to Council promised that if he is elected there will be tables at the Council breakfast!  The most noteworthy news, IMHO, is that Council passed by a two-thirds, recorded vote a petition that will have a large impact on the ACS; it will allow undergraduates to become full members, although they will not be allowed to hold national office.  Because it involves changes in the ACS Constitution, it’s passage will require approval of two-thirds of membership.  On a personal note, I was named one of several subcommittee chairs in the Constitution & Bylaws Committee.  My relentless climb towards the apex of ACS governance continues unabated.  There’s more, but I’m tired from all the eating, drinking, and carousing that go along with an ACS meeting in New Orleans.  Thankfully, a proper summary, appended below, was provided by the nice staff at ACS.  My comments are in italics.

Election Results: 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.

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. (currently the odds on favorite), 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.

- 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.

- The Council engaged in a lively debate on the Petition on Election Procedures 2006, Part 2, and entertained two motions: to recommit and 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, which standardizes election processes for President-Elect and all Director positions based on percentages of voting members, and increases the number of required signatures.

- 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.

Petitions (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.

Petitions (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.

 

Your faithful Councilor, Steve Trohalaki