257th ACS National Meeting
Orlando, FL
March 31-April 4, 2019
Councilor Talking Points:
Summary of Governance Issues and Actions
The following summary is provided to help Councilors report to their Local Sections and Divisions on key actions of the ACS Council meeting held April 3, and Board of Directors meetings held March 29-31, at the 2019 spring national meeting in Orlando, Florida.
Election Results
Candidates for President-Elect, 2020
? The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to the Council the following nominees for selection as candidates for President-Elect, 2020: Magid Abou-Gharbia, H.N. Cheng, Carol A. Duane, and Christopher J. Welch. By electronic ballot, the Council selected H.N. Cheng and Carol A. Duane as candidates for 2020 President-Elect. These two candidates, along with any candidates selected via petitions, will stand for election in the Fall National Election.
President-Elect, 2020a
Nominee 1st Round 2nd Round
Magid Abou-Gharbia 72
*H.N. Cheng 145 191
*Carol A. Duane 125 177
Christopher J. Welch 82
424 valid electronic ballots were cast, with 213 being the majority. The results of the first preference vote totals are shown in the 1st round column. No nominee attained a majority. Following the procedures approved by Council, second-preference votes were distributed in the subsequent round. Those marked with an asterisk (*) were declared elected as candidates.
Candidates for Districts II and IV
? The Committee on Nominations and Elections announced the results of the election held prior to the Orlando meeting to select candidates from the list of nominees for Directors from District II and District IV on the Board of Directors for the term 2020-2022. By internet ballot, the Councilors from these districts selected Christina C. Bodurow and Dawn Mason as District II candidates; and Rigoberto Hernandez and Lisa Houston as District IV candidates. Ballots will be distributed on or before October 1 to all ACS members in District II and District IV for election of a Director from each District.
DISTRICT IIa
Nominee 1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round
*Christina C. Bodurow 39
Mark E. Jones 2 12
*Dawn Mason 12 24 29
Angela K. Wilson 3 15 22
DISTRICT IVa
Nominee 1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round
Lissa A. Dulany 12 14
James C. Carver 9
*Rigoberto Hernandez 27 30 35
*Lisa Houston 22 26 35
The results of the first preference vote totals are shown in the 1st round column. No nominee attained a majority. Following the procedures approved by Council, second-preference votes were distributed in two subsequent rounds. Those marked with an asterisk (*) were declared elected as candidates.
Candidates for Directors-at-Large
? The Committee on Nominations and Elections announced the selection of the following candidates for Directors-at-Large for 2020-2022 terms: Harmon B. Abrahamson, G. Bryan Balazs, D. Richard Cobb, and Dorothy J. Phillips. The election of two Directors-at-Large from among these four candidates and any selected via petition will be conducted in the fall. Ballots will be distributed to the Council on or before October 1, 2019.
Other Council Actions
Amendment to the ACS Constitution and Bylaws
? The Council approved the Petition to Streamline the ACS Governing Documents [Constitution Articles I-XIX, Bylaws I-XIV, and Standing Rules I-IX], which will reorganize the fundamental governing documents of the Society: the Constitution and Bylaws, and create a third document: Standing Rules. These three documents will function as a hierarchy. The Constitution should define; the Bylaws should authorize; and the Standing Rules should operationalize. Additionally, an Amendment was voted upon, and passed by recorded vote:
• That language proposed as Standing Rule II, Sections 2 a, 2 b, and 2 g be moved to the Bylaws as new Sections 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c of proposed Bylaw III with appropriate renumbering of the other sections of Bylaw III and Standing Rule II.
? The Petition will become effective if and when the proposed changes to the Constitution are approved by the Membership of the Society, and if and when the Board of Directors approves the Petition. Because the changes to the ACS Governing Documents are substantial, the Council authorized the ACS Secretary and General Counsel and the Committee on Constitution & Bylaws to correct minor technical mistakes in the Petition.
Council Special Discussion
? ACS President Bonnie Charpentier led a special discussion on ACS Relevance to Current and Future Members: Challenges and Opportunities. Councilors had been asked prior to Orlando to discuss the ACS value proposition with their local sections or divisions and bring that input to Council. Councilors provided many recommendations and suggestions including increased support for local sections and industry members, helping student members transition into their professional careers, and implementing a monthly payment tool for ACS dues. These, and all the other ideas and input submitted, will be shared with the Committee on Membership Affairs and the ACS Membership Division for further research or implementation.
2020 Member Dues
? The Council voted on the recommendation of the Committee on Budget and Finance (B&F) to set the member dues for 2020 at the 2019 rate of $175.
Continuation of Committees
? The Council approved the recommendation of the Committee on Committees that the Committee on Nomenclature, Terminology & Symbols be continued; and that the Committee on Senior Chemists be continued, contingent on approval by the Board of Directors.
International Chemical Sciences Chapter
? On the recommendation of the Committee on International Activities, the Council approved the establishment of ACS Pakistan International Chemical Sciences Chapter, subject to confirmation by the Board of Directors.
Resolutions
? The Council passed several resolutions:
– in memory of deceased Councilors;
– in gratitude for the officers and members of the Orlando Section, host for the 257th National Meeting, the divisional program chairs, symposium organizers, and ACS staff for the planning and execution of the meeting.
Highlights from Committee Reports
Councilor Divisor
As required by the Society’s Bylaws, the Council Policy Committee has set the divisors for allocation of Councilor seats among Local Sections and Divisions for 2020 to 2023. Official notification of the Councilor divisors and the number of Councilors permitted for each Local Section and Division will be sent to the respective Local Sections and Divisions prior to May 1st as required in the Bylaws.
Online Preference Forms for Councilors
All Councilors, including new Councilors, were reminded to complete their online committee preference form for 2020 committee assignments. The committee preference form is open through June 7, 2019. The online form may be found at https://www.yellowbook.acs.org (log in required).
Nominations and Elections
The Committee on Nominations and Elections solicits Councilors’ input regarding qualified individuals for President-Elect and/or Directors for future consideration. Suggestions may be sent to nomelect@acs.org.
Budget and Finance
In 2018, ACS generated a net from operations of $41.1 million, which was $13.3 million higher than 2017. Total revenues were $571.6 million, increasing 6.4% – or $34.2 million – over 2017. Expenses ended the year at $530.5 million, which was $20.8 million or 4.1% higher than the prior year. These results were attributable to strong performance from the Society’s Information Service units (CAS and ACS Publications) and a continued emphasis on expense management across the ACS.
Additional information can be found at www.acs.org. At the bottom of the page, click ‘About ACS’, then ‘ACS Financial Information.’ There you will find several years of the Society’s audited financial statements and IRS 990 filings.
Membership
The ACS ended 2018 with 151,012 members, a net membership growth of one-tenth-of-one-percent. This is the first membership growth ACS has recorded in the better part of a decade. Of the 25,000 new members who joined in 2018, about 20% were incentivized by market testing initiatives. Without these new members, ACS would have seen continued declines.
Council voted to extend the provision of the international dues discount test based on World Bank country income levels for an additional three years (August 2019 – August 2022).
Orlando Meeting Attendance
As of Tuesday, April 2:
Attendees 7,887
Students 6,019
Exhibitors 869
Expo only 404
Guests 426
Total 15,605
Actions of the Board of Directors
The Board’s Executive Session
The ACS Board of Directors met in Executive Session March 29-30, and considered and responded to a variety of key strategic issues facing ACS, ACS members, and the global chemistry enterprise.
The Board’s Committees and Task Forces
The Board received and discussed reports from its committees on Executive Compensation, Professional and Member Relations, the Joint Board-Council Committee on Publications, the ACS Governing Board for Publishing, and the Next Generation ACS Leadership Program Task Force. In particular, the Board received an extensive briefing and approved several recommendations from its Committee on Executive Compensation. The compensation of the Society’s executive staff continues to receive regular review from the Board.
On the recommendation of the Joint Board-Council Committee on Publications, the Board voted to approve the reappointments of Editors-in-Chief for several ACS journals. Those reappointments will be announced in C&EN once the appointed individuals have been notified and arrangements for their continued service have been made.
On the recommendation of the Committee on Professional and Member Relations, the Board approved screened lists of nominees for the 2020 Priestley Medal and the ACS Award for Volunteer Service. The Board will select the recipients of these latter two awards from these screened lists.
The co-chair of the Next Generation ACS Leadership Program Task Force gave an update on the efforts of the task force. The task force has reviewed and considered the history of ACS leadership efforts since 1965 in preparation for offering key considerations and principles for providing ACS members with the means to develop as individuals, professionals and ACS volunteers. Next steps include continuing to gather feedback from various ACS entities and constituencies, and to develop a framework for professional development that is reflective of the ACS core values (focus on members; professionalism; diversity, inclusion and respect; and safety and ethics).
The Executive Director/CEO Report
The Executive Director and CEO briefed the Board on issues relating to the Focus on Members as a core value of the Society as well on ACS financial performance, Operational Excellence, and upcoming events and activities. His direct reports then engaged in strategic discussions with the Board relevant to the activities, opportunities, and challenges of the Membership and Society Services Division, the ACS Publications Division, and Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS).
Other Society Business
As is customary, the Board heard reports from the Presidential Succession on their current and planned activities for 2019. The Board also reviewed a proposed schedule for the Board retreat, meeting, and related activities in conjunction with the Central Regional Meeting in Midland, Michigan, June 3-9, 2019.
The Board’s Regular Session
The Board held a regular session on March 31, which featured a presentation from Dr. Susan Butts, Chair of the Working Group on Immigration and Work Visas, entitled Workforce Immigration and its Relationship to the U.S. Economy, Innovation, and Global Competitiveness.
Prior to the presentation, the Board Chair gave a report on Board actions and issues from its Executive Session. Members of the presidential succession and the Executive Director & CEO also offered brief reports on their activities. The officers provided more extensive reports on their activities and/or future plans as part of their written and oral reports to the Council.
Contact the Board
Your Board of Directors is elected by and acts in the best interests of the members of the Society. Please contact them with your comments, concerns, ideas, and suggestions at secretary@acs.org.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FOR COUNCILORS
The following is a list of URLs and email addresses for supplemental information offered in oral reports at the Council meeting.
Officers
Bonnie A. Charpentier, President b.charpentier@acs.org
Luis Echegoyen, President-Elect l.echegoyen@acs.org
Peter K. Dorhout, Immediate Past President p.dorhout@acs.org
ACS Offices
Office of Secretary & General Counsel secretary@acs.org
Membership Special Discussion engage@acs.org
Committees
Budget and Finance www.acs.org ? About ACS ? Financial Information
Constitution and Bylaws www.acs.org/bulletin5
bylaws@acs.org
Nominations and Elections nomelect@acs.org
Resources on the Web
Committee Preference Forms www.yellowbook.acs.org
Highlights of ACS Achievements www.acs.org/acshighlights
Governing Documents www.acs.org/bulletin5
New Faculty Workshops www.acs.org
“New Faculty Workshop”
Local & National Career Fairs www.acs.org/careerfair
ACS Career Consultants https://goo.gl/2sppC9
careers@acs.org
Safety Resources safety@acs.org
www.acs.org/safety
Safety Webinar https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/acs-webinars/professional- development/safety-culture/video.html