The Fall 2021 Meeting was held live from August 22-26, and on-demand from August 30 – September 30. As of August 25th, there were 8,205 registrations (1,895 hybrid and 6,310 virtual). Of the approximately 1,200 oral sessions held, 71 were only in-person, 244 were hybrid, and 855 were held virtually. The Fall Council meeting was again held virtually on August 25.
Actions of the Council
Election Results: Elected Committees of Council
- By electronic ballot, the Council elected Donna G. Friedman, Matthew Grandbois, Fran K. Kravitz, and Louise M. Lawter for a three-year term (2022-2024) on the Council Policy Committee (CPC).
- By electronic ballot, the Council elected Mary K. Engelman, Malika Jeffries-El, Brian M. Mathes, Susan V. Olesik, and Susan M. Schelble for a three-year term (2022-2024) on the Committee on Committees (ConC).
- By electronic ballot, the Council elected Allison Aldridge, Holly L. Davis, Peter K. Dorhout, Silvia Ronco, and Martin D. Rudd for a three-year term (2022-2024) on the Committee on Nominations and Elections (N&E). The initial round produced a tie vote for fifth place and was resolved by a run-off in which Silvia Ronco was elected.
Other Council Actions
Committee on Committees Petition
- On the recommendation of the Committee on Committees, and with the concurrence of the Council Policy Committee, Council approved the Petition to Amend the Duties of the Committee on Minority Affairs. The Petition was amended on the floor of Council to strike the word ‘minority’ in Standing Rule VIII, Sec. 1, b, (9). The Board added its approval in its meeting on August 28.
- The Council (and then the Board) also approved the continuation of the Committee on Environmental Improvement.
- On the recommendation of the Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs, and with the concurrence of the Council Policy Committee, Council (and then the Board) approved the 10th version of the Professional Employment Guidelines.
Council Special Discussion
President Cheng introduced and led a special discussion on ideas to increase involvement and membership from business and industry. For the last 5 years there has been a steady decrease in industry members. This can be attributed to a variety of factors, but there have been ongoing efforts to decrease the cost-related attrition while increasing member value.
To address value, ACS has a variety of offerings available to members to advance, discover, connect, and share. To address cost, actions were taken by the Council this past spring in the schedule of membership for 2022 that will provide industry members with flexibility as to membership options. Councilor input was then requested on the following two questions:
- How can we improve the value that ACS provides to its industrial and business members?
- How can we encourage academic inventors and entrepreneurs and support start-ups?
Actions of the Board of Directors – Executive Session
- On recommendation of the Society Committee on Publications, the Board voted to approve the reappointments of Editors-in-Chief for several ACS journals. Those appointments will be announced in C&EN once the individuals have been notified and appropriate arrangements for their continued service have been made.
- On recommendation of the Committee on Professional and Member Relations, the Board approved a Society nominee for the 2022 National Science Board Public Service Award.
- On the recommendation of the Committee on Budget and Finance, the Board approved the ACS 2022 Spring and Fall Meetings in-person/hybrid member registration fee at $399 and the virtual member registration fee at $199, both within a range of +/- 15%.
- On the recommendation of the Governing Board for the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT), the Board approved amendments to the Board Regulations concerning the membership, appointment, and terms for the Governing Board for AACT.
- The Board received an extensive briefing and approved several recommendations from its Committee on Executive Compensation. The compensation of the Society’s executive staff continues to be reviewed regularly by the Board.
Confirmation of Council Actions
As required in the Standing Rules, the Board voted and confirmed the Council’s actions taken on August 25, 2021 to approve the Petition to Amend the Duties of the Committee on Minority Affairs; approved the continuation of the Committee on Environmental Improvement; and approved the ACS Professional Employment Guidelines (10th Edition).
If you have any comments or questions regarding membership or benefits, please contact your Councilor, Darlene Slattery at dslattery1@cfl.rr.com or call her at 321-632-2535.