of the American Chemical Society
President Nalley called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. and a resolution on behalf of deceased Councilors was read.
The four nominees for President-Elect of the Society (Bursten, Eisenberg, Shakhashiri, and Tirrell) gave presentations and Council selected Bursten and Shakhashiri, who will run in the fall to be selected by the membership in general.
Candidates for District Directors were announced and included District V (our District): J. Benham and J. Adams; District I: T. Gilbert and A. O'Brien. Each District membership will select its own representatives.
Candidates for Director-at-Large were announced as: W. Breayeale, D. Chamot, P. Dorhout, P. Jones, V. Kuck, and D. Phillips.
The members of the Presidential succession discussed their activities. President Nalley's theme will be "Ensuring the Future." President-Elect Hunt discussed "Promoting Science and Engaging Students," "Building Strong Partnerships," and "Recreating Our Companies, Our Universities, and Ourselves." Past-President Carroll reported on a number of activities, including the final report on the "Chemistry Enterprise in 2015." This report is at:
http://www.chemistry.org/chemistryenterprise2015.html
Executive Director Jacobs reported on the state of the Society and, specifically, the redesign of the web for ACS.
Chair of the Board Burke reported on the Society's efforts to reevaluate its programs at the national level.
Budget and Finance reported $11.6M net from operations so that the unrestricted assets increased by $26M (this includes investment gains). The dues escalator for 2007 was accepted by voice vote by Council. The dues for 2007 will be $132, plus a $4 assessment for Divisions and Local Sections, for a total of $136. The dues escalator is based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
A Governance Review Task Force has been examining the Society's organization to see if there are better ways to organize it. One focus was on membership. Discussion centered on the breadth of interest in chemistry, the membership level of student affiliates, and the role of our Society relative to its being a "Professional" Society.
Membership Affairs (MAC) reported that 158,422 members were in the Society at the end of 2005. This is an increase over 2004, reversing a 3-year trend.
The Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs reported that 1,247 applicants were scheduled at the Atlanta meeting for 1,180 interviews for 197 positions. The 2006 Salary Survey will soon be forwarded to members and a new section on benefits will be included.
The Local Section Activities Committee reported on its leadership conferences, annual reports, and innovative grants program. The deadline for the 2007 program was announced.
A total of 12,546 attendees were at the Atlanta meeting. Meetings and Expositions Committee confirmed its intent to hold the Spring 2008 meeting in New Orleans. In New Orleans, ACS and AICHE will co-locate their meetings.
The Divisional Activities Committee reported on Thematic Programming with plans developed for San Francisco and Chicago.
The meeting was adjourned at about 11:45 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Frank D. Blum, Councilor
South Central Missouri Section, ACS
I have an agenda book in my office with more information and would be happy to discuss any of these or other items with you.
I continue to serve on the Council Committee on Nominations and Elections (N & E). We develop preliminary slates for candidates for ACS President-Elect, Directors and two elected committees of Council. I welcome your input on these positions.