ACS Unveils New Strategic Plan

The American Chemical Society has just released a unique interactive and Web-based strategic plan for 2007 and beyond. The plan is designed to focus the society's members on the new ACS Vision: "Improving people's lives through the transforming power of chemistry." The strategic plan is available online at chemistry.org/strategicplan.

"This plan is intended to bring together people in chemistry-related disciplines throughout the world and encourage them to pool their talents to help solve the difficult scientific problems facing the world today," says ACS Board Chair Judith L. Benham. "I'm confident that our members will heed the call to action."

All ACS members and staff were invited to contribute to the plan, and the final version reflects thousands of comments and survey responses. The document also has a built-in feedback mechanism whereby, through the Web, members can continue to make suggestions about the evolving plan. The strategic plan also features links to numerous ACS programs, so readers can see how the society intends to accomplish the plan's objectives.

ACS has included a strong external focus in its strategic plan that calls upon its members to use their science to "transform the world." At the same time, the plan pledges that ACS will continue to provide information, programs, products, and services to give members the highest value for their involvement with the society.

The plan sets out three areas for the society and its members to work toward. These are enabling scientific progress by providing the highest quality education, knowledge, and tools to facilitate solutions for major scientific challenges safely and sustainably; fostering community by strengthening the power of association by connecting people around the world in chemistry-related disciplines; and transforming the world by focusing on challenges and opportunities at the intersection of chemistry and society that improve the quality of human life.

"I'm very excited about this new strategic plan. In particular, the manner in which its major components reinforce one another make it a dynamic document," says James D. Burke, immediate past-chair of the ACS Board of Directors. "Moreover, since it is Web-based, members will have the opportunity to contribute to the plan's evolution."

Designers of the plan say that the following actions will help the strategy succeed: Placing more emphasis on the scientific advancement of members and the scientific activities of ACS; reinventing the ACS Web presence, and thereby developing new communities in ACS and enhancing others with new technologies; increasing the ACS commitment to lifelong learning with ACS membership; and increasing ACS involvement with the global community for the benefit of humanity.