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 It is a special privilege to preside over the world's largest scientific organization in the year it celebrates 125 years of existence. I am certain that when that small group of chemists who started our Society thought about the future, they could not have visualized the progress we have made since 1876. Understandably, their view of the Society's structure, operations, and activities was limited by the spirit of their time. Some of their contemporaries even questioned the feasibility of establishing such an organization, especially in view of the more advanced state of chemistry and chemical societies in Europe. Fortunately, there were then enough American chemists who were not easily dissuaded by this difficult task. Their goal was to create a home for those who practiced chemistry in the U.S. and to meet their professional needs.
Just as the attitudes of the general population are different today from those of our 19th-century ancestors, the needs of chemists today are not the same as our founders visualized. The constituencies may be basically the same: The majority of our members are employed by industry, and about half do not have doctoral degrees. However, the face of American--indeed global--industry is dramatically different from what it was even 30 years ago. Obviously, changing conditions require us to update our Society's programs in innovative ways.
The expectations of our 19th-century predecessors were primarily to hold meetings and publish their work, but today's members have a much wider range of professional needs and interests. Unless we address these issues and develop programs for them, we are going to face major problems in membership recruitment and retention.
There are two major points we must keep in mind as we embark on our next 125 years. One of them is that, not only have the demographics changed, but the attitudes and expectations of our present and prospective members are quite different. In my first presidential message (C&EN, Jan. 1, page 2), I described some of these changes and my general plans to address them. During the course of this year, I shall discuss specific proposals in more detail. There are no easy solutions, but just as 125 years ago the pioneer spirit prevailed to found this Society, today we also have enough members who are not easily discouraged by difficult or even seemingly impossible problems.
The other important point to keep in mind is the way in which we frame the challenges and develop their solutions. This is what I have called the "grassroots approach"--from the bottom up! Neither I nor anyone in ACS governance can claim to have the "philosopher's stone" or to be omniscient about members' expectations. I am not recommending that we add another thick document to our piles of surveys. Rather, ACS staff and governance are putting the finishing touches on an electronic poll of our members. The aim is to extract a demographically significant view of their interests and determine what types of services our Society should provide for 21st-century chemists so that ACS can maintain its leading role.
Our 125 years of progress is almost certainly unparalleled in the history of scientific organizations. It was achieved by the unbroken determination and optimism of many members who did not know the meaning of the word "impossible." We have the opportunity to start our second 125-year chapter in ways that will surpass the first. I strongly believe that we can do it; we can improve so that every chemical professional will feel at home.
I do not suggest that this will be easy, but if we work together everyone will benefit. We can and we must prevail. I know that we can maintain the momentum that has made our first 125 years of progress possible. I shall continue to seek your assistance and your vision to ensure our future. Please feel free to communicate with me.
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