Official Reports From The December ACS Board Meeting In Arlington, Va.

The major actions taken by the ACS Board of Directors at its Dec. 4–7, 2008, meeting in Arlington, Va., were reported in the Dec. 15, 2008, issue of C&EN (page 9).

The Society Committee on Budget & Finance met on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5 and 6, 2008, to review the society's 2008 probable financial performance, and to consider the 2009 proposed operating and capital budgets. The society is expected to end 2008 with a net contribution from operations of $9,549,000, or $426,000 favorable to the approved budget. After including the Member Insurance Program and New Business Ventures, the society's projected net contribution for 2008 is $8,872,000, which is $2,737,000 favorable to the approved budget. The Society is projected to end the year in compliance with four of the five board-established financial guidelines.

The committee considered a proposal from the Council Committee on Meetings & Expositions regarding the 2009 national meeting registration fees. The committee voted to recommend to the ACS Board of Directors that it approve an advance member registration fee of $340 for national meetings held in 2009.

In other actions, also approved, the committee recommended that the ACS Board include funding for the ACS Communications Strategic Plan (Year Three) in the society's 2009 proposed budget in the amount of $350,000 and that funding for the ACS Fellows program be included in the society's 2009 proposed budget and 2010–11 forecast, as reflected in the program funding request.

Finally, the committee voted to recommend to the ACS Board that it approve a 2009 operating budget with a projected net contribution of $9,355,000. The committee also voted to recommend to the ACS Board that it approve the 2009 capital budget of $24,539,000.
—Dennis Chamot, chair

The ACS Board Committee on Grants & Awards (G&A) ratified the following interim action taken since the Aug.14, 2008, meeting: G&A voted to change the purpose statement for the ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences to the following: "To recognize significant accomplishments by individuals who have stimulated or fostered the interest of women in chemistry, promoting their professional development as chemists or chemical engineers."

G&A voted to change the purpose statement for the ACS Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in the Chemical Sciences to the following: "To recognize significant accomplishments by individuals in stimulating students, underrepresented in the profession, to elect careers in the chemical sciences and engineering."

The chair reviewed the Program Review Advisory Group report as it relates to the national awards program.

Acting under delegated authority, the committee:

▸ voted to invite the current sponsors of eight ACS national awards to renew their sponsorships, which are scheduled to expire after the 2010 award presentation.
▸ voted to accept the recommendations of the ACS PRF Advisory Board (September 2008 meeting) for funding grants totaling $7.97 million.
▸ voted to support the TEVA USA Scholar's Program.
▸ voted to set the minimum number of nominees at five, in order to identify a winner.

The committee voted to recommend to the board of directors:

▸ that the Arthur W. Adamson Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Surface Chemistry lie fallow for the 2011 presentation.
▸ that the E. Bright Wilson Award in Spectroscopy be financially supported by ACS for the 2010 presentation unless a cosponsor is found to support this award.
▸ that the Irving Langmuir Award in Chemical Physics be financially supported by ACS for the 2010 presentation unless a cosponsor is found to support travel expenses.
▸ that the ACS Award for Computers in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research be financially supported by ACS for the 2010 presentation unless a cosponsor is found to support the administration fees.

The committee voted to recommend to the Board of Directors to discharge the PRF Steering Committee, at the end of December 2008, with thanks and appreciation for their efforts.

The committee discussed the Waterman Award and voted to add the Waterman Award to the list of external awards for which ACS generates a nomination.
—Eric C. Bigham, chair

The Committee on Professional & Member Relations (P&MR) received the final report from the Focused Interest Group Task Force. The committee voted to accept the final report from the task force, and dismissed the task force with gratitude for its outstanding efforts on behalf of the society.

The committee voted to recommend that the ACS Board of Directors cosponsor the Frontiers of Chemical Sciences IV: Research and Education in the Middle East (also known as Malta-IV) scheduled for Nov. 14–19, 2009, in Jordan and provide financial support at a level of $25,000. In addition, future financial support to the Malta series will be at a decreasing level because it is expected that the conference will become eventually financially self-sustaining.

The committee was briefed on the recent activities of the Board Oversight Group on Leadership Development. The committee voted to recommend that the ACS Board of Directors extend the oversight group for six months to allow for transition to an alternate advisory group.

P&MR was briefed on the recent activities of the International Strategy Implementation Task Force. The committee voted to recommend that the ACS Board of Directors dismiss the task force with enormous gratitude for its outstanding efforts.

The committee was briefed on the recent activities of its Diversity Partner Subcommittee. The subcommittee reported the following: it has appointed the new diversity partners; it arranged for a comment on diversity to appear in C&EN's Oct. 20, 2008, issue; it created a website for the group; and it conducted initial discussions with the diversity partners regarding their 2009 action plans, which are due to ACS by Dec. 17, 2008.
—Kent J. Voorhees, chair

The committee expressed its gratitude to the outgoing P&MR chair, Kent J. Voorhees.

The Committee on Public Affairs & Public Relations (PA&PR) opened the meeting by reviewing the actions taken at a special WebEx Committee meeting held on Nov.17, 2008. The committee

Approved four ACS public policy statements: Scientific Insight & Integrity in Public Policy; Sustainability and the Chemical Enterprise; Visa Restrictions & Scientific Progress; and Teaching of Evolution: Fact & Theory. The policy statements can be found at www.acs.org/policy.

The committee agreed to recommend to the full board nominees for the 2009 ACS Public Service Awards the following people: Norman Augustine, former chairman of Lockheed Martin and chairman of the 2005 National Academies "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" report, and Reps. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) and Phil Gingery (R-Ga.).

The chair highlighted two letters sent by ACS President Bruce Bursten since the last committee meeting in August: one to the campaigns of Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain urging them to appoint as soon as possible a head of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy and to elevate that position to cabinet status; and one to House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) in support of H.R. 6845, the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act.

Other items highlighted included an October Chemistry World article featuring Bursten and Cal Dooley, the new American Chemistry Council CEO, sharing their hopes for the new incoming Administration; the final report of 2007 President Catherine Hunt's Task Force on Enhancing Innovation & Competiveness as well as a new ACS tri-fold brochure that describes ACS and what it stands stand for.

The chair led a discussion on the proposed 2009–10 ACS Biennial Public Policy Priorities document, which serves as the organizing summary for all of the society's policy statements. The committee discussed the feasibility of trying to arrange the policy statements around the ACS Strategic Plan core values and goals, and the committee agreed to let the proposed document stand as drafted and formed a small working group to evaluate ways to link the organization of the policy statements to the ACS Strategic Plan before the March 2008 national meeting.

The committee voted to recommend that the board of directors approve the biennial Public Policy Priorities for 2009–10 for ACS.

The committee received presentations on, and discussed, the status and 2008 accomplishments of the ACS Communications Strategic Plan, the planned deliverables for 2009, and the dramatic shifts taking place in the media markets—from print to electronic—and the challenges/opportunities they presents to ACS as it seeks to communicate results of scientific research and achievements.

The chair reviewed the progress the committee has made in meeting its 2008 goals and asked committee members to submit input for 2009 goals and consider whether the 2008 goals are replicable for 2009, and whether there are some goals that should be dropped and/or added or expanded. The committee agreed that the 2009 committee goals should comport and align with the ACS Strategic Plan.

The meeting concluded with a presentation by ACS staff that covered notable highlights in the communications and government affairs areas— ACS podcasts (Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions, Bytesize Science, and Science Elements), awards presented to ACS for its 2007 annual report, a new interactive website for the ACS National Historic Chemical Landmarks program, increased member involvement in advocacy, the Science & the Congress program, ACS Science Fellows program, and interaction with the transition teams of President-elect Barack Obama.
—Bonnie Charpentier, Chair