ACS Council takes action on 9 recommendations and elects members to 3 committees at ACS Fall 2024

The fall ACS Council meeting took place in person at ACS Fall 2024 in Denver on August 21, beginning at 8:00 a.m., with the option for members to join virtually. The meeting began with passing a resolution honoring deceased councilors and observing a moment of silence.

Officers who delivered oral reports included ACS president Mary K. Carroll; president-elect Dorothy J. Phillips; past-president Judith Giordan, who presented her last report to the council in the presidential line of succession; chair of the ACS Board of Directors Wayne E. Jones Jr.; and ACS CEO Al Horvath, who recognized that ACS will be approaching its 150th year anniversary in the next few years.

Elections

The council elected members for 3-year terms—from 2025 to 2027—on the Council Policy Committee, the Committee on Committees, and the Committee on Nominations and Elections.

The council elected Donna Friedman, Matthew Grandbois, Diane Grob Schmidt, and Kimberly Woznack to the Council Policy Committee. Sheila Murphy was also elected to a 2-year term (2025–26) to fill the unexpired term of Jeanette M. Van Emon, who was elected to the ACS Board of Directors.

The council elected Allison Aldridge, Mary Engelman, Katherine Johnson, Daniel Rabinovich, and Brian Mathes to the Committee on Committees.

The council elected Peter K. Dorhout, Holly L. Davis, Kevin J. Edgar, and Donivan R. Porterfield to the Committee on Nominations and Elections.

Actions on recommendations

One of the most anticipated recommendations to be voted on during the council meeting was the Petition for Global Representation on Council. Before the petition could be voted on, the council held a vote on the amendment to the petition.

The petition was amended—with 400 votes in favor and 12 against—to count both councilors elected by zones and councilors elected by local sections for the purpose of calculating the number of councilors elected by divisions. The amended petition will be presented to the ACS Board of Directors for action.

“We will always be the American Chemical Society, but our 21st-century world has evolved. We no longer confine ourselves to activities solely within our national borders, and our global membership has grown,” a councilor from the Division of Cellulose and Renewable Materials and chair of the Committee on Divisional Activities said. “Our members, no matter where they are located, deserve to be firmly represented on the floor of council.”

Other remarks during the allotted comment period were also in favor of the amendment. A councilor from the ACS Indiana Section and chair of the Committee on Local Section Activities indicated that the way local sections operate and how funds are allotted wouldn’t change with this amendment. A councilor from the Georgia Section emphasized that “It is very important to the divisions that the divisions remain important in council structure.”

The council approved the Petition for Global Representation on Council, with 375 voting in favor and 39 against. The petition allows for creating global electoral zones for the election of councilors by ACS members living outside the territory of existing local sections. Before the vote, the floor was open for comments from those in favor and against the petition.

A councilor from the Cincinnati Section reassured those voting that existing ACS procedures will still be in place and that change will be gradual. A councilor from the Rhode Island Section asked whether the petition arose organically from overseas members or if ACS activities in Washington, DC, heavily influenced it, noting that the council would not be serving membership properly if it was the latter. The Rhode Island councilor also raised a concern about whether the petition would affect the ability of ACS to serve existing local members properly and suggested that if the petition passed, the society’s name might as well be changed to the “Global Chemical Society.”

A councilor from the Green Mountain Local Section and chair of the Committee on International Activities had an answer to the other councilors’ questions, stating that international members are asking for this change. He noted that “the newly formed six zones will finally capture representation around the globe, including those not represented in the US and Canada.” A councilor from the Michigan State University Section also addressed the fact that many other national scientific organizations, like the American Physical Society, also have international members and participation.

The council approved the Petition to Amend the Name of the Committee on Technician Affairs (CTA) to the Committee on Chemical Technical Professionals, with 394 votes in favor and 2 against. This change recognizes that the term “technician” does not adequately reflect the variety of titles used for these positions across the broader chemical enterprise.

“Much of the work performed by chemical technical professionals is essential to the chemical enterprise,” said a councilor who is a member of the CTA. “The stakeholders of CTA often are not aware of the benefits of the ACS memberships or attending meetings and often don’t self-identify as technicians.” Because of this disconnect, the councilor recommended voting in favor of the proposed change.

The council approved the continuance of the Committee on Ethics; Committee on Nomenclature, Terminology, and Symbols; and Project SEED. And, subject to concurrence of the ACS Board of Directors, the council also approved the Committee on Chemical Safety, Committee on Chemistry and Public Affairs, Committee on Community Activities, Committee on Minority Affairs, Committee on Professional Training, Committee on Science, Committee on Senior Chemists, Committee on Women Chemists, and Committee on Younger Chemists, with a vote of 393 in favor and 1 against.

The council approved the Academic Professional Guidelines, with 392 voting in favor and 6 against, and the Chemical Professional’s Code of Conduct, with 382 in favor and 13 against.

The council approved the creation of three International Chemical Sciences Chapters: Bangladesh, with 375 votes in favor and 14 against; East and Northeast India, with 377 in favor and 13 against; and West India, with 370 in favor and 13 against. These chapters will be approved if the ACS Board of Directors agrees on them.

Society committee reports

Eight ACS committees delivered committee reports orally at the council meeting. Seventeen committees, including the eight committees that delivered oral reports, submitted reports that can be found in the council agenda.

The Committee on Constitution and Bylaws reported the certification of bylaws for five local sections: Columbus, Permian Basin, Inland Northwest, Midland, and Pensacola; three divisions: Colloid and Surface Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, and Biochemistry and Chemical Biology; and three international chemical sciences chapters: Switzerland, Egypt, and Guangdong.

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Committee on Younger Chemists encourages early-career chemists to join ACS with an offer available through September: new members can join ACS for a 50% discount on their first year of national dues by using the discount code YCC24 when joining online.

Resolutions

In addition to passing the resolution in memory of deceased councilors, the council also passed resolutions in appreciation of the Colorado Section for serving as the host for ACS Fall 2024, the divisional program chairs, symposium organizers, the ACS staff for the planning and execution of the meeting, and the outgoing chair of the council, Mary K. Carroll

You can download the council talking points at www.acs.org/about/governance/councilors.html for more detailed information on these actions.