2005
ACS Spring Meeting in San Diego
- Councilor Report
For
the 2005 ACS
Spring Meeting in San Diego,
North Jersey had full representation at the
Council meeting. Representing the section were the following Councilors and
Alternate Councilors: Anita Brandolini, Maureen Chan, Alan Cooper, Jacqueline
Erickson, Susan Fahrenholtz, Stan Hall, George Heinze, Bettyann Howson, Allene
Johnson, Diane Krone, Valerie Kuck, Cecilia Marzabadi, Les McQuire, Bill Suits,
and Stephen Waller.
Prior
to the Council meeting, Councilors participate in various committees. Some of
the Committees with
North Jersey Councilors include are Budget and Finance, Committee
on Economic and Professional Affairs, Local Section Activities Committee,
Membership Affairs Committee, Nominations and Elections, SOCED, amongst others.
Below are a few highlights from some committee meetings.
Maureen
Chan participated in the Budget and Finance (B&F) Committee meeting and
Communications Subcommittee of B&F. At the 2005 San Diego meeting, the B&F Committee
reviewed the 2004 ACS financial performance.
Results were good with a larger than expected net contribution from
continuing operations. This resulted
mainly from strong earnings from information services, strengthened investment
gains and careful control of discretionary spending. The committee also reviewed the 2005 budget
and the results of a financial planning conference held on January 24-26, 2005
(these are summarized by the chair of B&F, Judith Benham in C&EN, April
11, 2005, p.41).
The
Communications subcommittee reviewed the B&F website (chemistry.org/committee/budget) and prepared for presentations
made at the meeting to councilor caucuses.
We are anxious to provide as much information as possible to ACS members
on the finances of the Society and urge members to go to the web site. Specific questions on finances can be sent to
.
Allene Johnson serves an Associate to the Society Committee on
Education (SOCED), and has been asked to serve as a
judge for Chemluminary Awards for Kids in Chemistry programs and HS programs,
in addition to serving as a judge for the Best Minority Affairs Program. Also,
SOCED was informed that the High School Club has been approved and also that
there is a new Local Award for a HS teacher sponsored by the Division of Chem
Ed.
George
Heinze and Jacqueline Erickson participated in the Membership Affairs Committee
(MAC) meeting and in their respective subcommittees. MAC spent much of the time
discussing the subcommittee structure and a strategic plan for the committee. In
addition, there was discussion on the membership categories for the ACS and
whether or not student affiliates should be considered student members. Recruitment and retention of ACS members was
another big topic of discussion, It was announced that
Membership in the American Chemical Society was 158,127 as of year-end
2004. Compared to the previous year,
this represents less than a 1% decrease. Based on this decrease, MAC would like
to encourage all ACS members to participate in the 2005 Member-Get-A-Member
program, 365 in 2005.
At
the Council meeting, reports were given by the President, President-Elect,
Immediate Past President, Chair of the Board of Directors, and the Executive
Director &CEO of the ACS. Reports were also given by committees.
The
nominees for 2006 President-Elect were introduced to the councilors and each
nominee gave a short talk about her/himself and
position statement. The Council chose
Catherine T. Hunt and John W. Kozarich as the two candidates for President-Elect.
George Heinze, a North Jersey Councilor, will appear on the ballot as a petition
candidate.
The
Committee on Nominations and Elections also announced the results of the
election of nominees for candidates to represent District III (which includes North Jersey) on the Board of Directors for the term
2006-2008. Nominees for District III
included: Catherine C. Fenselau, Edward
J. Grabowski, Madeleine M. Joullié, and Willie E. May. By written ballot the Council selected
Catherine C. Fenselau and Madeleine M. Joullié as District III candidates Ballots will be mailed on or before October
10 to all members in District III for election of a Director.
The
Committee on Nominations and Elections announced the selection of the following
candidates for Directors-at-Large for a 2006-2008 term: James D. Burke, Edwin A. Chandross, C. Gordon
McCarty, and Frankie Wood-Black. The
election of two Directors-at-Large will be conducted in the fall, with ballots
mailed to the Council on or before October 10.
The
Council voted to establish an Ethics Committee to coordinate the ethics-related
activities of the Society and to serve as an educational resource and
clearinghouse. The general consensus was
that ACS should take a leadership role in ethics for chemists and the
scientific community.
Council
approved the recommendation from the Society Committee on Budget and Finance
that 2006 dues be set at the fully escalated rate of $127.
Finally,
a special discussion item was put on the Council agenda for this meeting. ACS President William F. Carroll presented an
overview of Chemistry Enterprise 2015, posing the question, “Where will our
students come from in the next ten years, and where will they go?” Councilors then participated in a lively
discussion of this issue. The issue was
framed as follows: Currently the U.S. has a strong university system
and U.S.
graduate education in science is widely recognized as the best in the world,
but problems loom on the horizon. In
addition, a variety of factors in the nation’s academic infrastructure are
likely to produce change in the training and careers of new chemists. The discussion at Council intensified
awareness of this issue and possibilities for solutions. Of
special note to the North Jersey Section, was the discussion related to
pre-college teachers. It appears that there are a number of chemists who
are becoming pre-college educators. They
need a strong mentoring program. Mentors
should include both experienced teachers and experienced chemists. ACS needs to provide resources that explain
the qualifications for becoming a certified teacher. We need to create teachers who are both
enthusiastic and know their subject. At
one point, Bill Suits asked Councilors who were high school teachers to stand.
Half of those standing were from North Jersey,
which indicates the strong support for High School teachers in this section.
If
any North Jersey members would like more
information on these topics or would like to provide feedback on this report,
please contact the Chair at
.
