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SOCIETY COMMITTEE REPORT
BUDGET & FINANCE
The Society Committee on Budget & Finance received a comprehensive report from the staff on the society's projected financial performance against the 2004 approved budget, including a report on the projected year-end compliance with the board-established financial guidelines. The committee was pleased to learn that year-end performance is expected to be favorable to the budget and that all financial targets will be met. In other actions that were subsequently approved by the board of directors, the committee recommended approval of the 2005 proposed operating and capital budgets; reauthorization of the ACS Matching Gift Fund Program with a budget of $250,000 for 2005; and an advance member registration fee of $295 for 2005 national meetings. In addition, the committee approved a recommendation to the board of directors that, in the event that net revenues from the 2005 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies (PacifiChem) exceed budget, the board authorize reimbursement to ACS divisions for expenditures made in support of the PacifiChem program.--JUDITH L. BENHAM, CHAIR
BOARD COMMITTEE REPORTS
GRANTS & AWARDS
The proposed ACS Petroleum Research Fund (ACS PRF) grant budget for 2005 is $22.6 million. Acting under delegated authority, the ACS Board Committee on Grants & Awards (G&A) voted to fund ACS PRF grants totaling nearly $6.8 million, including funding of two grants totaling $120,000 from the Green Chemistry Institute-ACS PRF Programming Initiative allocation.
G&A voted to invite the current sponsors of eight national awards to renew their sponsorships and to accept a proposal from the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, sponsor of the ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences, to designate the ACS Women Chemists Committee as the primary organizer of the award address. G&A also recommended to the ACS Board of Directors that the future venue for the Charles Lathrup Parsons Award address be at midday on the first day of technical sessions of the spring national meeting in the year the award is presented at an event organized under the auspices of G&A.
For more information concerning G&A activities, contact Martha K. Lester at m_lester@acs.org.--C. GORDON MCCARTY, CHAIR
PROFESSIONAL & MEMBER RELATIONS
The Committee on Professional & Member Relations' (P&MR) foci for 2004 were strategic input, communications, and inclusiveness. The chair reported on recent activities and on an Oct. 22, 2004, conference call with the committee. Committee discussion and action centered on its foci.
Strategic Input: In an interim action, the committee voted to approve the request from the American Institute for Chemical Engineers to cosponsor the AIChE 2005 Management Conference, taking place on Nov. 2–4 in Cincinnati.
The committee approved communications requesting that technical divisions and regional meeting planners' programs meet the needs of B.S. and M.S. chemical professionals.
P&MR voted to adopt the following:
◾ Accept the report given by Glenn A. Crosby to the committee at the Philadelphia meeting and disband the current ad hoc Regional Meeting Study Group, with thanks.
◾ Recommend that Meetings & Expositions form an implementation team to ensure that documents produced by the group will be communicated in a timely manner to members of the regional boards and local organizing committees and to take the next steps needed to continue examining the role of regional meetings in ACS.
◾ Recommend that the board of directors approve cooperative cosponsorships of (1) the U.S.-India Symposium in India, cosponsored by the Council on Scientific & Industrial Research and the local chemical society (CRSI) in late November/early December 2005, contingent upon the review and approval of the Office of the Secretary & General Counsel, and (2) the second annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing, sponsored by the Biotechnology Industry Organization and the National Agriculture Biotechnology Council, to be held on April 20-22 in Orlando, Fla.
The committee considered revisions to the Guidelines on Meeting Cosponsorship related to repeated requests, and to the society's initiation of cosponsorship.
P&MR received a report from Stanley H. Pine, chair of the Board Oversight Group on Leadership Development. Funds have been approved, and chairs have been appointed for the Skills Development and Pipeline Implementation Teams.
Communication: The committee voted to accept e-mail guideline revisions that were intended to offer clear options and to allow strategically planned e-mails informing members on benefits.
The benefits of other contemporary technologies--wikis for community building and collaboration, blogs for recording and reporting, and RSS for alerting--were reviewed. The committee discussed the urgent need for ACS to begin Web conferencing because the technology presents new opportunities for members and because its use, particularly in newer multidisciplinary areas, is growing rapidly.
Inclusiveness: Actions to implement suggestions received during P&MR's August Inclusiveness Breakfast were discussed.
P&MR received a report from the Joint Board-Council Task Force on Multidisciplinarity, which is focused on ACS's response to multidisciplinarity in meetings, journals, and technical divisions.
Membership: Major accomplishments were reviewed. Numbers remain strong, considering current economic conditions. ACS is expected to lose no more than 1% of total membership this year. Our 92% retention rate indicates overall member satisfaction and continues to outpace industry standards by more than 10%.--ANNE T. O'BRIEN, CHAIR
PUBLIC AFFAIRS & PUBLIC RELATIONS
The Committee on Public Affairs & Public Relations (PA&PR) met on Dec. 2. As part of the committee's 2004 initiative to expand its communications with other ACS units, the next ACS Councilor Bulletin will include a comment from the PA&PR chair, and the committee has launched a new PA&PR website.
The committee recommended and gained board approval of the 2005–06 Public Policy Priorities document, which informs policymakers and ACS members on the broad federal policy priorities of the society. The committee also considered and gained board approval of a new National Historic Chemical Landmark--forwarded by the National Historic Chemical Landmarks Committee--which would recognize the development of the "Columbia" dry cell battery by National Carbon Co.
The committee voted to approve a revised ACS education white paper, "Science Education Policies for Sustainable Reform," based on recommendations by the Society Committee on Education. Expiring policy statements on Environmental Protection Agency science and the government's role in scientific and technical information also were extended.
The committee approved the nominations of two legislators to receive the 2005 ACS Public Service Award, which were forwarded by the ACS Committee on Chemistry & Public Affairs.
The committee also approved a request from the Committee on International Affairs for ACS to participate as a civil society organization of the Organization of American States. This would provide the society with a unique opportunity to participate more fully in the discussion and development of international science and technology issues relating to Latin America.--DIANE GROB SCHMIDT, CHAIR
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