Actions From The June 2012 American Chemical Society Board Meeting

During its meeting in Baltimore on June 1–2, the American Chemical Society Board of Directors considered a number of key strategic issues and responded with several actions.

The Committee on Grants & Awards selected the winner of the 2013 Award for Volunteer Service to ACS, and indicated that it would soon announce the winners of the Priestley Medal and Charles Lathrop Parsons Award. The winners are, respectively, William H. (Jack) Breazeale Jr., professor emeritus at Francis Marion University and an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston; Peter J. Stang, University of Utah chemistry professor and editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society; and Geraldine L. (Geri) Richmond, professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon, Eugene.

The board voted to approve a society nominee for the Chemical Heritage Foundation’s Othmer Gold Medal, to approve financial support options for several ACS awards, and to establish a new national award—the ACS Award for Entrepreneurial Success—provided an endowment can be raised to adequately support the award within the next three years.

ACS Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Madeleine Jacobs and several of her direct reports updated the board on the activities of Chemical Abstracts Service, the ACS Publications Division, the International Chemistry Olympiad in the U.S., the Philadelphia national meeting, and the society’s general counsel.

The general counsel’s report included a briefing on the ACS v. Leadscope litigation (C&EN, Sept. 12, 2011, page 8) and noted that ACS continues to await the outcome of its appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court.

During the CEO’s report, the board approved Stephen S. Hecht of the University of Minnesota as the new editor-in-chief of Chemical Research in Toxicology. He will succeed Lawrence J. Marnett of Vanderbilt University, who will retire as editor-in-chief at year-end.

In other society business, the board voted to approve three actions arising from the ACS Council spring meeting: “The Chemical Professional’s Code of Conduct,” the “Petition to Amend Recorded Vote Request Procedure,” and the “Petition on Market Data Collection” (C&EN, March 12, page 72).

The board also voted to approve or ratify certain actions, including a proclamation of the 50th anniversary of the Indonesian Chemical Society, a designation of the Tess Family Trust Funds for the ACS Endowment, and the appointment of A. Maureen Rouhi as the new vice president and editor-in-chief of Chemical & Engineering News, effective on or before Sept. 14 (on the last day of service of Rudy M. Baum, the current editor-in-chief).

The board received reports from the ACS presidential succession on their current and planned activities for the remainder of 2012 and a status report from the board’s Working Group on Society Program Portfolio Management. The working group has been charged with recommending to the board a process for portfolio management of society programs, which include the Division of Membership & Scientific Advancement, Division of Chemical Education, Office of Public Affairs, and any pilot programs.

The board also received an update on the status of the International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies. Known as Pacifichem, this event is the largest chemical conference in the Asia-Pacific region, attracting more than 12,000 attendees from 72 countries.

The board reviewed the new format for its open session at ACS national meetings and proposed topics for the open discussion at its fall meeting. After considerable discussion, the board agreed to an open forum on the topic of ethics as it applies to chemists and their professional conduct.

Click here to read: Committee reports from the board meeting.