MILWAUKEE SECTION
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Councillors' Report

The main issues considered by the Council at this meeting included several items.

1. SOCED Report: (Councilor, Thomas Holme, is an Associate Member of the Society Committee on Education, SOCED). SOCED continues to consider several important topics associated with Education for the Society. SOCED considered it's input into the Enterprise 2015 project of President Carroll. Holme continues to serve on the Task Force of SOCED that is considering the next steps needed to expand on the initial efforts in Exploring the Molecular Vision.
   
   
2. Report from the President. Dr. William Carroll provided information about the early progress on his agenda items. He noted that a preliminary, baseline study associated with the Chemistry Enterprise 2015 to establish where chemistry as a field is now largely complete, so that forecasts of the future can established from firm ground. He noted that one key economic force may be the commoditization of fine chemicals. He also emphasized increased involvement in public service by chemists. Finally he talked about his project to enhance the ability of chemists to transition to teaching chemistry as a second career.
   
   
3. Report from President-elect. Dr. Ann Nalley described her major agenda items for next year. First she emphasized the importance of volunteers to the Society and her intention to spotlight that role in her year as president. She will empanel a taskforce to look into issues related to members volunteering for the many activities of the Society. Second, she emphasized the importance of communicating the role of chemistry in modern society to the general public with specific interest in communicating the connections between basic and applied research. Finally, her third thrust is summarized by the phrase “good science education today ensures good science for tomorrow.” She notes that the role of undergraduate research in science education will be particularly emphasized.
   
   
4. Report from the Past-president. Dr. Charles Casey noted that the Academic Employment Initiative remains a key component of his interest in ACS events. He also noted that he has participated in meetings about the costs of scientific journals and the role of electronic access to scientific information in the future of chemistry research. Prof. Casey was also part of a contingent that traveled to Havana, Cuba to attend the 5th International Congress on Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.
   
   
5. Report from the Chair of the Board. Dr. James Burke detailed some of the activities of the ACS Board of Directors over the past several months. He particularly noted the work of a task force about the collaboration between ACS and the American Institute for Chemical Engineering (AIChE). These conversations have resulted in moves to co-locate national meetings of the two societies in Spring 2007. The two societies will also work together on legislative advocacy and the Chemical Heritage Foundation. The temporary assessment for the funding redistribution towards local sections and divisions that was scheduled to be $6 in 2006 will only be $5.
   
   
6. Report of the Executive Director. The Executive Director, Madeleine Jacobs, discussed broad issues related to the question “what kind of an organization do we wish to be?” She noted that the concepts of relevance, renewal and resilience can provide a template around which to understand the activities of the Society. She noted particular emphasis on expanded development efforts for activities of the Society, including the ACS Scholars Program, Project SEED, workshops for high school teachers and the ACS Green Chemistry Institute.
   
   
7. A recommendation to form a new “other” committee of the Council, an Ethics Committee, that was previously referred back to the Committee on Committees for further refinement of the scope and duties of such a committee was returned to the Council floor. In this case, the proposal to establish this committee was passed.
   
   
8. The committee on Nominations and Elections noted that they will implement a hybrid system for the upcoming ACS Election - in which both electronic and paper balloting will be allowed.
   
   
9. The budget and finance committee presented it's calculations for dues escalation and the council adopted the fully escalated dues of $127 for
   
   
10. In it's report to the Council, SOCED noted that it has appointed a task force to revise the Society policy statement on the teaching of evolution in the secondary school science curriculum.
    
    
11. A special discussion was held to advance the consideration of the Enterprise 2015 exercise. President Carroll first acknowledged that the advisory committee for the preliminary work did not accurately represent the diversity of the society and that he would address shortcomings in this composition. Discussion then focused on several issues including (1) the increasing interdisciplinary focus of chemistry departments; (2) fewer foreign students in graduate programs in the US; (3) the aging of the chemistry faculty at many college campuses; (4) the importance of time to degree and the role this plays in the teaching of chemistry; (5) monetary and safety concerns associated with laboratory instruction. After this discussion of the educational landscape, issues associated with the future workforce were specifically addressed. Concerns noted included (1) the decrease in the numbers of people in the US workforce as predicted by current demographics and the premium this future shortfall brings to chemistry to attract under represented minorities to it's field; (2) the increasing diversity of the types of career and work related to chemical employment and (3) the probability that outsourcing to overseas labor will be offset by retirement of members of the baby boom generation leading to probable pressure on workforce development in years to come.
    
    
12. Committee reports were heard from several standing committees.
    
    

Submitted by Thomas Holme and Dimitri Gorjestani