Preview of Actions by Council in San Diego

The American Chemical Society Council will select candidates for fall general elections, vote on creating an ethics committee, and consider a raise in member dues, among other actions, at its meeting during the ACS national meeting in San Diego. The council meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 16, in the San Diego Marriott's Marina Ballroom.

Council members will select two candidates for 2006 president-elect from four nominees, all prominent representatives from the chemical industry: Pat N. Confalone, director of global research and development in crop protection at DuPont, Wilmington, Del.; Catherine T. Hunt, leader of technology partnerships at Rohm and Haas, Spring House, Pa.; John W. Kozarich, chairman and president of ActivX Biosciences, La Jolla, Calif.; and Cynthia A. Maryanoff, distinguished research fellow for research and development at Cordis Corp., Spring House, Pa. President-elect nominees will all have an opportunity to make a brief speech to council prior to the vote.

In addition, council will select candidates for directors of Districts III and VI, as well as for two director-at-large positions.

The council will act on a recommendation by the Committee on Committees (ConC) to create a Committee on Ethics as an other committee to council.

The charge of the ethics committee would be as follows: "To coordinate the ethics-related activities of the society; to serve as an educational resource and clearinghouse, but not as an adjudication body, for ACS members seeking guidance on ethics issues; to raise awareness of ethics issues through meeting programming and columns/editorials; to review recognition opportunities for acknowledging ethical behavior; and to develop and oversee such other ethics-related activities as will serve ACS members and promote the society's standards of ethical conduct within the profession of chemistry and its related disciplines."

A previous motion to create an ethics committee, at the council meeting in Philadelphia in the fall of 2004, was referred back to ConC on a voice vote, with councilors desiring more time to familiarize themselves with the concept (C&EN, Sept. 27, 2004, page 41). Three task forces have addressed whether ACS needs a committee devoted to ethics since the issue was raised in 1999, with all three finding that such a committee is both "necessary and worthwhile."

ConC will also recommend that the council continue the Committee on Project SEED. As part of its charge, ConC is required to review each joint board-council and other committee no less often than every five years and then advise the board of directors and council on whether the committees should be continued.

In addition, council will be asked to raise the 2006 member dues from $123 to $127.

Council will consider a petition revising bylaws on election procedures regarding run-off elections and director-at-large elections. It will also continue holding a half-hour discussion on a topic of interest, this time on "Enterprise 2015: Where will our students come from in the next 10 years, and where will they go?"--AALOK MEHTA