For Director-At-Large: Ray A. Dickie

Dickie's Statement

It is an honor to have been asked to run for director-at-large of ACS. I appreciate the opportunity to be of continued service to ACS. My fellow candidates for these offices are eminent and capable; as you make your ballot decision, I ask for your consideration of what I share with my fellow candidates, of what my priorities are, and of the experiences that have shaped my views.

As chemists and councilors, we share many things: a passion for science, concern for the society and our fellow members, and a commitment to working toward solutions to the challenges facing the society. The passion for chemistry, the dedication to working toward the resolution of global problems through chemistry, and the commitment to the community of chemists are well articulated in the ACS Strategic Plan. The plan sets forth admirable and ambitious goals for the society, goals to which I fully subscribe. Achieving these goals is, and I am sure was meant to be, challenging—and achieving them has become even more challenging in the turbulent and difficult economic times in which we are now living.

Financial sustainability is essential to the continued success of the society. The board and the society's management have done a commendable job making difficult decisions based on foresighted contingency planning. The financial well-being of the society is, and must be, a matter of ongoing attention and action. The relevance, sustainability, and adaptability of the society's programs must be addressed on an ongoing basis.

As a society, we need to focus on the member-value proposition: As councilors, we have made the decision to be active and involved members. How do we ensure that the value proposition of ACS makes sense for the mid- and late-career chemist as well as the new chemist? How do we best structure the member experience to maintain membership and attract new members? One of the strengths of the society has been the extensive (and sometimes very intensive) involvement of its members in its programs and its governance at all levels. There have been major changes in the structure and formation of social and professional networks in recent years; these changes can be expected to continue and intensify. We as a society must be responsive to and embrace new forms of social and professional interaction: Our success depends on our adaptability.

Financial sustainability and healthy member involvement should enable the continued development of the broad array of information services and public outreach that ACS uniquely provides. The future of the scientific enterprise depends on convincing the public and its elected representatives that science in general and chemistry in particular are vitally important and worth supporting even in—perhaps especially in—challenging economic times. Education broadly defined, education at all levels, both formal and informal, is an essential and fundamental part of what we as scientists and as a society do.

What can I offer? My professional experience has been in industrial research but not in a chemical company. I worked for more than 30 years in the research labs of Ford Motor Co. on research projects centered on polymeric materials—everything from plastics and composites to paint and structural adhesives. I was a chemist among the mechanical engineers, doing and leading materials research and working to solve some of the practical problems of using chemical processes in automotive manufacturing.

My ACS experience has included active participation in division, local section, and society governance. At various times, I have been a local section councilor and a division councilor. I have served on the Committee on Committees, the Committee on Constitution & Bylaws, and the Council Policy Committee. I recently completed three years as chair of the Committee on Constitution & Bylaws. Service on these committees has given me insight into the structure and operations of local sections, divisions, and, of course, the society itself. I have also been active in two other, much smaller, technical societies: the Adhesion Society and the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology.

Boards of directors have heavy policy, personnel, and financial responsibilities. If elected director-at-large, I promise to work hard at asking questions, developing answers, and representing my fellow councilors and the members of the society, offering the best counsel I can.