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Careers

Scholars Program at 10

by MADELEINE JACOBS, ACS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO
August 8, 2005 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 83, Issue 32

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Credit: COURTESY OF PPG
PPG Foundation's Schmidt visits ACS Scholar and PPG intern Julius Johnson in the PPG Coatings Research Center, Springdale, Pa.
Credit: COURTESY OF PPG
PPG Foundation's Schmidt visits ACS Scholar and PPG intern Julius Johnson in the PPG Coatings Research Center, Springdale, Pa.

The ACS Scholars Program, a college scholarship program that helps academically gifted African American, Hispanic, and Native American students pursue studies in the chemical sciences, marks its 10th anniversary at the ACS national meeting later this month in Washington, D.C., with a series of events open to attendees.

On Sunday afternoon, an ACS Presidential Symposium celebrates "The Future Face of Chemistry" in the context of ACS President Bill Carroll's Enterprise 2015 initiative. At the symposium, ACS Scholars will tell their success stories. Scholars will also present posters at the convention center on Monday afternoon under the auspices of the Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA). The commemoration continues on Monday with a symposium sponsored by the Division of Business Development & Management (BMGT) on the "Business Case for Diversity in the Chemical Industry" and a CMA reception and luncheon.

The ACS Scholars Program is an amazing success story. Recognizing the need to ensure a talented, diverse, homegrown workforce in the chemical sciences, the ACS Board of Directors approved the program in December 1994. The first ACS Scholars began their studies in the 1995-96 academic year. Since then, ACS has awarded $8.2 million in direct scholarship assistance to 1,599 underrepresented students with excellent academic records and financial need. The program's hallmark is the assignment of a mentor to each Scholar. As a result, the program retains 80% of the students entering it.

ACS has tracked nearly every one of these students closely, and I'm pleased to report that as of the end of July, 660 Scholars have earned their undergraduate degrees in the chemical sciences and engineering. The Scholars are also on the cutting edge of multidisciplinarity: A sizable proportion have double majors in the chemical sciences and related disciplines.

Of the Scholars who have graduated, 57% are African American, 39% are Hispanic, and 4% are Native American. Equally as impressive is that 255 entered the workforce immediately and 277 are in graduate school. Of those in graduate school, 96 are in Ph.D. programs--51 are African American, 38 are Hispanic, and seven are Native American. Twenty-two have already earned a Ph.D.

It's clear that the ACS Scholars Program has had a major role in literally transforming the face of chemistry. How has this happened? We have to thank the generosity and foresight of corporations, foundations, and individuals committed to excellence, diversity, and the future of the chemical profession. Corporations and foundations have contributed $3.0 million to the program; ACS and individuals have supplied the rest. Founding Partners have given more than $500,000; Sustaining Partners have donated more than $200,000; and National Partners have given more than $100,000.

This year, I have enjoyed visiting such generous donors as Lynne D. Schmidt, vice president of government & community affairs and head of the PPG Industries Foundation (Founding Partner), which to date is the largest donor to the program with $1 million; Anne M. Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox; and John R. Laing, senior vice president of the supplies delivery unit at Xerox (National Partner), which was the first nonchemical company to support the ACS Scholars Program. Also included in my travels this spring were Cecil B. Pickett, senior vice president and president of Schering-Plough Research Institute; John Piwinski, group vice president of chemical research at Schering-Plough; Christine Fahey, vice president of the Schering-Plough Foundation; and Joseph Starkey, vice president of public affairs at Schering-Plough (National Partner). Special thanks also go to ACS Board of Directors members Diane Grob Schmidt, Eric C. Bigham, and Judith L. Benham, who have helped secure generous donations from Procter & Gamble (Sustaining Partner), GlaxoSmithKline (Sustaining Partner), and 3M (National Partner), respectively.

Companies and foundations have put their own stamp on these programs. Some provide internships to the Scholars they support; others, like PPG, not only have internships and summer events for their Scholars, but they've hired them as well.

Schering-Plough and GlaxoSmithKline have a cooperative partnership between several units, and the support is often part of a larger diversity initiative. At P&G Beauty, Schmidt, who is research and development section head, and Ronald Webb, manager of P&G's doctoral recruiting and university relations, first teamed up to bring P&G to the National Partner level. For each of the last two years, P&G Beauty has made $100,000 contributions bringing P&G into the Sustaining Partner Category.

As you listen to ACS Scholars when you attend the Sunday Presidential Symposium and CMA luncheon, you will hear firsthand how the scholarships have transformed their lives. At their poster sessions, you'll see the caliber of their work. At the BMGT symposium, you will hear from company executives on how, in partnership with the ACS Scholars Program, their investments in the future of the profession have paid off. I urge you to attend these events and to become part of this exciting, successful initiative. For more information, please contact Kathy Fleming (k_fleming@acs.org).

 

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