Keeping Pace With Member Needs

THE WORST RECESSION in more than 50 years and the budget reductions it triggered did not prevent ACS from keeping pace with member needs in 2009. January is a fitting time to reflect on last year's innovations and accomplishments and to think about ways to improve ACS's offerings to better serve members in the future.

The society offers a wide range of products and services to meet the needs of a very diverse membership. From surveys, we know that the greatest needs are for scientific information, networking and collaboration, and professional advancement. ACS implemented several innovative services in these areas in 2009, and feedback from members is positive. Following are some highlights:

PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT. ACS initiated a special effort in 2009 to make members aware of the benefits it offers unemployed members, including the dues waiver, free meeting registration, discounts on short courses, and free access to career consultants. Outreach activities included visits with companies going through major layoffs, telemarketing, and information in C&EN.

In addition to its jobs database, career fairs, and résumé and interviewing workshops, ACS continues to develop services to assist members looking for jobs. In 2009, the "Career Caffeine" video series was launched to help members plan job searches, develop résumés, and interview successfully.

And ACS didn't forget its members who are employed. The society helped these members advance in their positions and tool up for future ones by launching a suite of online business courses. These courses were developed with Harvard University and are designed for scientists. In addition, the ACS Leadership Development System debuted last year.

NETWORKING & COLLABORATION. ACS's online professional network grew last year and now has more than 20,000 members. The network enables members to find each other and ask questions, share information, and collaborate anytime and anywhere there is an Internet connection. Visit www.acs.org/acsnetwork for more information.

Despite budget woes, travel constraints, and movement toward virtual meetings, the fall ACS meeting was the largest society meeting ever in Washington, D.C. Regional meetings held their own in a bad economy and achieved an average attendance of 730 in 2009, down only slightly from 745 in 2008. Go to www.acs.org/meetings to read more.

Collaboration doesn't stop at national borders, so ACS increased international research cooperation in 2009 by organizing forums addressing global scientific challenges in the U.S., China, and Germany. The forums attracted leading scientists and drew support from national funding agencies. ACS also worked with collaborators in France, Germany, Italy, and the U.K. to provide international research experiences for chemistry students.

Two undergraduates were among those who wrote positive reviews. One enthusiastic student who participated in an exchange last year said the experience was the best she has had. "I gained a wide range of research experiences and a better understanding of how international labs function," she said. Of his time in Germany, another said, "The research was fascinating, and the support was outstanding. Studying abroad was an eye-opening experience that I think everyone should experience at least once. Through ACS, the transition to 'German life' was practically seamless." Visit www.acs.org/international to learn more.

SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION. Last year, ACS broadened access to national meeting content by recording and posting 200 national meeting presentations on the Web. These drew some 7,000 users after the spring national meeting and more than 7,000 after the fall meeting. More than half of the users surveyed stated that this is among the ACS services they value most and that it will make them more likely to renew their memberships.

An ACS member who calls himself a "generalist" says this service ranks "up there with C&EN as a reason to be a loyal ACS member." Another member goes further. "This will make me an eternal ACS member," he says. To access the presentations, go to www.acs.org/meetings.

Also in 2009, ACS developed bimonthly teleconferences and webinars on career and professional issues. The forums are aimed at industrial chemical scientists, including those at small businesses. Registration exceeded expectations, with 400 to 800 registrants per event.

These events boast more than 90% attendee satisfaction. "Webinars like this are especially valuable to small businesses," says a member who participated in several of them. "I am very appreciative of the efforts ACS is making to increase the benefit to small-business owners and entrepreneurs and am happy to endorse the work." See www.acs.org/industry for information.

Finally, last year, ACS launched "Boil This Down" (www.boilthisdown.org), a new website for industry members. The site aggregates information from select scientific and business publications each day and spotlights ACS services most relevant to industry members. It also includes a popular section for members employed by small businesses.

Although we can't fix the economy, we can work to deliver products and services that current and future members value. We can help equip members with tools to enhance their knowledge and further their careers. That's where our focus will be now and in the years ahead.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to pmr@acs.org.

Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS.