Editorial: Planning for the next 100 years of C&EN

This is a guest editorial by Al Horvath, CEO of the American Chemical Society

I am honored to have moved into the role of CEO of the American Chemical Society on Jan. 1, 2023. ACS has flourished for 147 years, and my job, working along with our volunteer governance and staff leaders, is to make certain that the society is positioned for success well into the future. We benefit from the great work of our predecessors and are driven to hand off an even stronger society to our successors.

Also in 2023, ACS celebrates the 100th anniversary of our flagship publication, Chemical & Engineering News. Frequently cited as one of our leading member benefits and winner of numerous awards, C&EN is eagerly consumed in many formats by members and nonmember readers alike. And while I look forward to the celebrations and fanfare for the centennial, I have set a top priority to ensure that C&EN moves toward its second hundred-year mark stronger and more successful than ever.

Since its inception, C&EN has had a two-pronged mission:

▸ Report important news that impacts chemists, chemical engineers, and the chemical enterprise.

▸ Be the place for our members to hear about important society information.

Those two objectives still serve as effective guides for the magazine today. C&EN is widely recognized as the go-to source for exclusive chemistry news, and our members value the opportunity to consume high-quality journalism and to learn about important society news in one place.

We are fortifying our commitment to C&EN’s pursuit of high-quality, science-​focused journalism. And we are actively recruiting editors and writers to join our talented team in order to secure C&EN’s long-term success.

I fully support safeguards that ensure our journalists have the necessary independence to pursue the stories that are most important to our readers and to the chemical enterprise as a whole. We are guided in this endeavor by C&EN’s standards and practices, which clearly articulate the important elements for guaranteeing that my C&EN colleagues have the latitude to do their job in the manner they deem most effective. This principle is nonnegotiable.

To underscore this commitment, I made the decision to move C&EN to the ACS Publications Division. This change was made following consultation with a number of colleagues inside and outside the society, including C&EN staff members with deep experience in such matters. It quickly became clear that this organizational change would demonstrate that C&EN has the independence and leeway to cover the issues most important to the chemistry community.

Supporting the high-quality journalism that delivers these stories and producing a multifaceted publication like C&EN comes with a substantial price tag. ACS will continue to provide the financial resources that C&EN requires to achieve its mission.

We are also exploring innovative ways to increase the reach and impact of C&EN. This can already be seen through our podcasts, newsletters, and community platforms. These are just some of the ways that C&EN is evolving to meet the needs of our readers and members, ensuring its vitality for years to come.

So, as C&EN celebrates a successful century, rest assured that ACS is working to ensure that it continues to flourish for the next 100 years and beyond. I’m proud to be associated with this publication and grateful to the professionals who make it happen on a daily basis. And we are all indebted to those who have contributed to C&EN’s success since 1923. Here’s to an indispensable second century!

Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS.