ACS Board Business At Belmont

At its June 6 open meeting at the ACS Belmont Conference Center in Elkridge, Md., the ACS Board of Directors heard reports from various committees and discussed society business.

On the recommendation of the Committee on Public Affairs & Public Relations, the board approved a policy statement on L-1 visas. The statement calls for legislation to prevent the outsourcing of L-1 visa holders and the displacement of U.S. workers. It also calls for reducing the length of L-1 visas, increasing prior employment requirements, and bolstering enforcement of L-1 laws.

The ACS Board also approved two new National Historic Chemical Landmarks, recognizing the development of the actinomycete antibiotics under the direction of Selman Waksman in New Brunswick, N.J., and the agricultural chemistry work of George Washington Carver at Tuskegee University, in Alabama.

Acting under delegated authority and on the recommendation of the ACS Petroleum Research Fund Advisory Board, the Committee on Grants & Awards reported that it had voted to approve funding grants totaling nearly $6.8 million.

Prior to the meeting, the board conducted a retreat to discuss the topic of strategic alliances. It explored in great detail definitions, models, existing alliances throughout ACS, and ways in which alliances may help achieve the objectives in the ACS strategic plan.